


Buy Me a Drink

by ValhallaKoala



Category: Adventure Time
Genre: Alternate Universe - Bar/Pub, Alternate Universe - Human, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Bonni is a bartender, Consent, Don't copy to another site, F/F, IKEA, Implied Sexual Content, Light Angst, Marceline is still a musician, Tickling, i love that that's a tag, it's barely there, it's important
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-26
Updated: 2020-12-21
Packaged: 2021-03-06 00:33:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 24,443
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25534405
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ValhallaKoala/pseuds/ValhallaKoala
Summary: Bonni is a bartender at Kingdom Bar. Marceline stops by one night with Finn and Jake. You know the rest.
Relationships: Princess Bubblegum/Marceline
Comments: 19
Kudos: 125





	1. Chapter 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the most graphic my writing will ever get, just FYI. Also I may or may not write a multi-chapter fic as a finale to my two (only) other works. (A series called Young Love is a Fickle Thing. Check it out), but that's gonna take a really long time if I even decide to do it, because I don't want to leave it unfinished. (I hate finding a multi-chapter fic that looks really good but then I see that it's unfinished and was last updated in like 2016) Anyway, my point is that I'm gonna mark the series as complete for now 'cause I think it still works. Again, I might add to it, but I don't want to leave this series unfinished forever. Anyway, enjoy this short thing that just popped into my head randomly and seemed like a cool idea. Also, just to be safe I don't own Adventure Time or the Zelda Franchise. Obviously. Please leave a comment or kudos, especially if you have thoughts on the fate of Young Love. Enjoy!

“Heyyy, hunny. Whaddya say we go-” here he hiccuped “-go out sum time, just yoooou and meeeee,” the drunken man on the other side of the bar slurred. Halfway through his sixth drink of the night, he was leaned over onto the bar, disgustingly close to Bonni’s face. She backed away and shook her head.

“Not interested,” she said impartially, and walked away from the man.

“I swear Imma nice guuy!” he called after her, too loudly.

“Not from what I’ve seen,” Bonni said without turning around. The drunk man shrugged and leaned back on to his seat. He overcompensated, however, and fell off the barstool. Bonni caught this while filling a glass for the more sober looking man and rolled her eyes. She sighed. At least he wasn’t as bad as some of the other guys that she had met.

She didn’t love being a bartender, but she had gotten fairly good at it. Of course, in New York, a bartender’s salary isn’t enough to live on _and_ pay for school, so she had two roommates. She told herself it was only temporary, that she would have enough money saved up soon to go to college, but money is a slippery thing and being turned out of your own home by your parents doesn’t help. She had stopped feeling anger about this, and now just felt a dull tiredness that was somehow worse. She shook her head and gave the man his drink. He flashed her a pleasant smile and thanked her.

She surveyed the remainder of her waiting patrons. Nobody that looked very interesting, she noted with some disappointment. Having short conversations with odd people made her job less dull. Well, it wasn’t dull exactly. She was on her feet for nearly 10 hours most days of the week, and had been thrown up on more times than she could count. Having interesting people to talk to made the chaos of her job more...unexpected? She supposed she enjoyed the variety. Serving alcohol to the same kind of gross dude got tiring. On the plus side, she had gotten very good at deflecting their advances. She considered this and laughed quietly. An aspiring scientist, her proudest achievement the ability to turn down creeps. If she didn’t laugh, she’d cry. She bit her tongue and swept a stray lock of red hair behind her ear. She got lost in her head sometimes.

She looked up to see that a black haired woman had walked up to the bar and Bonni’s heart stopped. She was certain that she had found the most beautiful woman in the entire world. Her long black hair fell to her waist in thick, shiny locks. She wore a red and white varsity jacket with an M on the left breast, and Bonni couldn’t see what she was wearing from the waist down. She had no idea varsity jackets could be sexy, yet here she was, nearly drooling over a complete stranger. Bonni scrunched her nose to push her glasses up her face (It was a nervous habit she had. Entirely ineffective, and if her glasses were really sliding down her nose she’d just push them up with her hands, but old habits die hard, right?) and walked up to the woman. She asked for her order while imagining what it would be like to comb her fingers through the woman’s silky looking hair. The woman glanced up and smiled. She looked Bonni up and down, not bothering to hide it, before making eye contact again. Bonni felt hot under the woman’s piercing gaze.

“A pint of Bell’s Two Hearted, a pint of Hell or High Watermelon, and a Shirley Temple for me please,” she asked politely. Bonni turned around to fill up three glasses for the woman. _She said please_ , Bonni thought. This was not a rarity, of course, but to know that this woman was beautiful _and_ polite was somehow a turn on. “You’re not going to ask me if I don’t drink?” the woman asked suddenly. Bonni turned around and handed the woman one of her drinks.

“Why would I?” Bonni asked curiously. The woman looked shocked, then shrugged.

“It’s just, most people make a big deal out of it and I usually have to explain it like twenty times,” the woman explained. Bonni handed the woman her second drink and shrugged.

“Not really my business, is it? Good for you, though. I wish I could say the same for myself, but it’s kinda hard to be a bartender and not drink,” Bonni said. They looked at each other for a few seconds.

“Can I get your name?” the woman asked in a voice that was both sultry and polite. Bonni scrunched her nose again. It was one thing when gross dudes hit on her. It was another when a drop dead gorgeous woman who was responsible and polite hit on her.

“Bonnibel. Bonni for short. If you want the last name, you’re gonna have to buy me a drink first,” she said, handing the woman her last glass. The woman laughed.

“Fair enough. I’m Marceline,” she said, smiling. Bonni smiled back, keeping her guard up. Marceline held her gaze for a few moments more, before speaking again. “So, Bonni. Would you want to go out sometime? Buy you that drink, get the last name?”

Bonni raised an eyebrow and tried to look more confident than she felt. “That’s a bold assumption,” she said. Marceline shrugged, looked away.

“Well,” she said, and looked back at Bonni. “I’m a bold woman.” Yep, Marceline was the most attractive woman on the face of the planet. Bonni opened her mouth, then closed it. She looked down the bar and saw that she had several people waiting to order.

“Sorry, got to go. I’m here Sundays, Mondays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays if you have to leave soon,” Bonni said reluctantly. “We close at 2, stop by tomorrow if you’re serious.” Marceline winked.

“Count on it.”

*~*~*

Marceline got out of the taxi in front of Kingdom Bar at 1:45 a.m. She tipped the driver and stood in front of the entrance for a few seconds. She tugged at her scarf anxiously. She had thought it would look fashionable, but now it just felt like it was choking her. It still looked good, though. At least, Marceline thought it did. What if Bonni didn’t like it? She started to sweat. The lights were on inside, though it was significantly less crowded than it was the night before. Big difference between Sunday and Monday, she supposed. She walked into the nearly empty bar. Bonni was wiping down the bar surface, her red hair swept into a ponytail. She beamed when she saw Marceline. “Hey! I was beginning to worry you wouldn’t show!”

Marceline shrugged. “I’m not here for alcohol,” she said, looking Bonni in the eyes. Bonni shuddered almost imperceptibly. Almost.

“Hold on, I’m closing in a half an hour,” Bonni said. She then turned her attention away from Marceline and addressed the four or five people still in the bar. “Last call, people!” she shouted. A few people shook their heads and walked out, while a few others shambled over to the bar to order their last drink of the night. Or rather, morning.

“S’cuse me a sec,” Bonni said, and walked over to serve her remaining patrons. Marceline watched her walk away and tried not to appreciate her red checked flannel shirt rolled up to the elbows, black skinny jeans, round metal glasses and red ponytail. She failed. She felt her phone buzz in her back pocket. She pulled it out and groaned at the caller ID.

“What do you want, Jake?” she asked sourly, turning around on her barstool. “I’m kinda...busy at the moment.” She looked around at the nearly empty bar and the few customers receiving their drinks. She cleared her throat.

“Yeah, yeah, I'm sure you’re real busy. I just called to let you know that Prismo got Kompy’s Kastle 3, so Finn and I are gonna spend the night at his place. By the way, where even are you? I found another one of your bras in my room and knocked on your door like seventeen times to tell you and you weren’t there,” he asked. Marceline sighed.

“Well first of all, your roommate is a woman. With breasts. So get over it. And second, I left a note on the fridge! I assumed you’d be up to make a fuckin’ sandwich already,” she explained.

“Oh yeah, that makes sense. Well I’ve got you on the phone now, so where are you?” he asked again. Marceline rolled her eyes.

“I’m out at Kingdom Bar with Bonni,” she said.

“Who’s Bonni?” Jake asked confusedly. Marceline sighed exasperatedly.

“I was talking about her like, all last night! I’m not telling you because this is a thing now,” Marceline exclaimed.

The line was silent for a few seconds. “Ohhh!” Marceline could almost see his eyebrows waggling. “Is she the ‘Foxylicious’ bartender?,” Jake said amusedly. Marceline held a hand to the bridge of her nose and sighed.

“Yes Jake. The Foxylicious bartender,” Marceline muttered.

Jake laughed. Marceline heard some shuffling on the other end, and then a muffled voice asking what was going on. “Marcy’s getting laid tonight! Jake explained to whom Marceline could only assume was Finn. Being roommates with two brothers was...a challenge sometimes. She heard excited yelling on the other end.

“You guys suck, I’m hanging up now,” Marceline grumbled, but failed to keep a smile off her face.

“Use protection!” Jake said before the line went dead. Marceline laughed quietly and turned around. Bonni was behind the bar with an eyebrow raised.

“‘Foxylicious’?” she asked, smirking. Marceline’s face turned beet red.

“No, no! I was, uh, I was-I was drunk! Drunk people...do stupid things?” It came out as more of a question than she had wanted. _Hopefully she doesn’t remember too much of our conversation yesterday_ , she thought. She crossed her fingers under the table. Bonni’s smile widened.

“No you weren’t. You don’t drink,” Bonni said triumphantly. Marceline cursed under her breath.

“Ok! I may have been...admiring your aesthetic. And I may have used the word-” Marceline held her face in her hands “-Foxylicious. Oh my god, that’s so creepy,” she groaned into her hands. Bonni laughed goodnaturedly.

“It’s cool. I’ve been called creepier things. And not from people I find remotely attractive,” Bonni assured her. Marceline looked up.

“You don’t think I’m creepy?” she asked hopefully.

“No, no, you’re definitely creepy. But you’re hot too, so it doesn’t count,” Bonni said cheekily. Marceline laughed nervously.

“Can’t argue with that,” she said, shrugging in what she hoped was a nonchalant manner. Bonni walked to the door as the last patron stumbled out. She closed, but didn’t lock it and unplugged the neon OPEN sign. She flipped off the lights and did whatever menial things she needed to do in order to close. In all honesty, Marceline wasn’t paying attention. She was too busy daydreaming about Bonni looking at her through her eyelashes as she undid her fiery ponytail, about Bonni slipping her flannel shirt off, about what color Bonni’s bra would-

“Hey, you ok? Your face is kind of...really red,” Bonni asked, concerned. Marceline quickly shook her head.

“I’m fine, it’s just kinda...hot in here. You done closing up?” Marceline replied nervously. Bonni nodded. They stepped out the door and into the brisk air of the night. Bonnie fished a key ring out of her pocket and locked the door, then turned around to face Marceline.

“Do you actually have a plan, or are we just wandering the city at 2 a.m.?” Bonni asked skeptically. Marceline scoffed.

“Relax princess, I have a plan. I figured we could go hang out in Central park, y’know, walk around…” she paused. Bonni raised an eyebrow. “Actually, that’s all I got. I didn’t think very far ahead,” Marceline admitted. Bonni rolled her eyes and smiled.

“Well, I guess we can hang out in Central Park and go from there,” Bonni said. She shivered and rolled down the sleeves of her flannel. November was a cold month in New England, and she found herself envying Marceline’s scarf. Except, she didn’t want to rob her of it. It was super hot. Marceline smiled and nodded.

They had been walking a few minutes, Marceline thinking desperately of something to fill the silence with, when she finally spoke.

“So, how’d you get a job as a bartender? I’m realizing I don’t know much about you,” she asked. Bonni shook her head and laughed.

“Well, I was kind of desperate. My parents had just found out I was gay and told me I was...no longer welcome in their household.” She heard Marceline gasp quietly and laughed again, bitterly. “I’ve come to terms with it by now. I had just graduated high school and my friend Lady was kind enough to let me move in with her and her roommate Lottie. I was very, very lucky. Without Lady, I’d probably be...well I don’t really want to think about it. Anyway, I was pretty desperate for a job, and Kingdom Bar was hiring. I had worked as a waitress for a bit when I was a teenager, so I knew enough about customer service. My dad was a pretty heavy drinker as well, so I was familiar with quite a few kinds of alcohol. The pay is decent, I know what I’m doing, and I’m ...certainly kept on my toes. It just made sense, I guess. That was 2 years ago. I’m saving money to go to school, but it’s been slow going and you can probably guess how much my parents are helping me with that. So, uh, here I am. A bartender for 2 years and I’ve been saving for college for a year and a half.” When it was clear that she had finished, Marceline took her hand silently.

“I’m so sorry, Bonni,” she said softly. Bonni shrugged.

“It’s not your fault. And there’s not much I can do about it now. Besides, I’m as happy as I can be. I live with my best friend, I’ve got a job that keeps me on my toes, I’ll be able to pay for college in about a year, and I’ve got a hot date,” she said, her cheeks heating up at the last bit. Marceline smiled.

“I guess, but still. No one deserves to be treated like that, much less by their own parents.” She paused. “I think you’re really cool, Bonni.” Bonni smiled shyly.

“Thanks, Marceline,” she said. They walked a bit more, still holding hands, when Bonni cleared her throat.

“Well anyway, now that you know my life story, is there anything I should know about you? What sort of childhood did you have that you learned to say ‘Foxylicious’?” she asked, nudging Marceline’s arm with her elbow. Marceline groaned.

“That’s gonna follow me to my grave, I just know it,” Marceline said with mock annoyance. Bonni just laughed.

“Alright, where to begin? I don’t have the best parents, either. My mom died when I was a baby, and my dad isn’t very paternal. He’s been cold and distant ever since my mom died, which is basically my whole life. I’ve learned to deal with it though, blaze my own trail y’know? As soon as I graduated high school I moved in with my friends Finn and Jake. I play guitar, bass, banjo, ukulele, and piano. I’m the lead singer in my band, Marceline and the Scream Queens. We mostly play live shows in sketchy bars and shit. We’ve played in the Kingdom Bar a few times, but mostly Saturdays, so you wouldn’t’ve seen us. We’re trying to get a record deal, but that’s slow going.” She paused. “I guess that’s it. I like french fries and the color red,” she added after a few seconds. Bonni cleared her throat awkwardly.

“I’m sorry about your mom,” she said quietly. Marceline smiled and waved her off.

“It was a long time ago. I can barely remember her,” she said lightly. Bonni smiled back.

“My last name is Blum. I know I said you would have to buy me a drink first, but I have a feeling you’re not too upset,” she said after a pause. Marceline’s smile softened.

“That’s a beautiful name, Bonni,” she said softly. “My last name’s Abadeer. In case you were wondering.” Bonni squeezed her hand.

“I like it,” she nearly whispered.

*~*~*

They lay on the edge of the pond spanned by the Gapstow Bridge, gazing up at the starry sky. Or rather, Bonni was looking at the stars. Marceline was looking at Bonni. She was naming constellations, and Marceline would nod lazily. Sometimes she knew what Bonni was pointing to, but for the most part she just enjoyed the excitement in her voice when Bonni was talking about stars. Marceline stared at her profile as she looked skyward. The light of the moon seemed to kiss her face, making her practically glow. Marceline admired her button nose, her soft pink lips, her-

“Are you listening to me?”

Marceline blinked.

“What?” she asked.

Bonni laughed and rolled over to face Marceline. “I asked if you knew what I was even talking about. I can get carried away, especially when it comes to science,” she explained. Marceline stared into Bonni’s deep blue eyes.

“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” Marceline said blankly. Bonni laughed.

“That’s ok, I’m not even sure myself. I ramble when I’m nervous,” she replied. They looked at each other for a few seconds.

“Are you nervous?” Marceline asked quietly. Bonni bit her bottom lip subconsciously. Marceline didn’t think the other woman was even aware of how sexy it was.

“A little,” Bonni whispered, as if it was a secret. Marceline’s gaze fell from her eyes to her lips.

“I really want to kiss you,” she breathed. Bonni’s cheeks flared.

“You do?” she asked with muted surprise.

“Yeah,” Marceline replied, her eyes going back to Bonni’s.

“Ok,” Bonni replied in a barely audible tone. And then she was leaning forward and her lips were brushing against Marceline’s. Bonni’s lips were incredibly soft, her touch gentle. She leaned away.

“I haven’t kissed very many people,” she said, looking away shyly. “Was that ok?”

Marceline stared at her dumbly. “Y-yeah. That was great.” She paused. “Can we do it again?” she asked. Bonni nodded and leaned forward again. This one was more intense, more heated. Bonni kissed her with more pressure, and Marceline was breathless. She opened her mouth slightly and ran her tongue along Bonni’s bottom lip. Bonni hummed and rolled on top of Marceline, straddling her hips. She opened her mouth and tentatively caressed Marceline’s tongue with her own. It was clumsy, not at all flawless, but it was beautiful in its imperfection. She moved her hips slightly and Marceline groaned. She pulled away and Marceline chased her lips for a moment, then let her head fall back against the grass.

“You have roommates, right?” Bonni asked breathlessly. Marceline nodded.

“They’re not home, though. Spending the night with a friend,” Marceline replied quietly. Bonni pursed her lips, as if in thought.

“We should probably kiss more at your apartment, then,” she finally suggested. Marceline nodded again.

“Yeah, we probably should,” she agreed. Bonni giggled. “What?” Marceline asked, confused. Bonni shook her head.

“It’s just, I’ve never really done anything like this before. I’m sort of out of my depth. I kinda like it, though,” she explained, still smiling. “I trust you.” Marceline sat up, Bonni still on her lap. She kissed her again, soft and sweet.

“We don’t have to do anything you don’t want to do, just by the way,” Marceline assured her. Bonni nodded.

“I know,” she said. She paused, then pecked Marceline again. “Right now though, I kind of need to kiss you more, so any time we could get out of here would be great.” Marceline laughed breathily. She stood up and took Bonni’s hand.

*~*~*

Marceline led a timid Bonni through her front door. She closed it behind her and turned around to take Marceline’s hand again. Marceline turned to her, then paused. She looked around.

“Finn? Jake?” she asked an empty apartment. She was silent for a few seconds, before turning back to Bonni. “Ok, I think we’re good.” Bonni nodded. Marceline took off her red jacket and scarf and hung them on a coat rack in the foyer. Bonni followed her into a small bedroom adorned with various band posters and, on her closet door, a-

“Periodic table of the elements!” Bonni exclaimed. “You have one too!” Marceline looked at Bonni’s excited face and back at the poster and laughed.

“Yeah. It helped me a lot through high school and when I moved in with Finn and Jake, I couldn’t bear to throw it away,” she explained. “I couldn’t tell you anything about science though. I just like all the colors.” Bonni shrugged.

“Well, it’s still cool that you have one,” she said. They stood awkwardly for a few more quiet seconds before Marceline sat down on her bed, her back against the headboard. She gestured to Bonni.

“Come sit with me.”

Bonni blushed and made her way over to Marceline. She half sat, half kneeled on Marceline’s lap, their faces mere inches apart. Her legs straddled Marceline’s thighs and her hands rested on Marceline’s shoulders. She looked down at where their bodies met and nervously fiddled with the hem of her flannel. Marceline gently brought Bonni’s chin up with her finger until their eyes met.

“Hey,” she said softly, encouragingly. “Try not to be nervous. I’m not gonna do anything you’re not comfortable with.” She kissed Bonni’s forehead. Bonni exhaled a shaky breath.

“I know, I know. I’ve just never done this with anyone this hot before,” she said quietly. Marceline tried to keep a straight face. She really did. But in the end, Bonni’s grave expression won out and Marceline burst out laughing. Bonni looked confused. “What?” she asked. Marceline took a few deep breaths to compose herself.

“I thought you felt pressured into doing something you didn’t want to do. It’s just a relief that you’re only nervous about my hotness,” Marceline explained, truly relieved. Bonni smiled reassuringly.

“Don’t worry. I really, really, really want to have sex with you,” she said confidently. Marceline laughed again, gentler this time.

“Me too,” she said, before taking Bonni’s lips again. There was something more exciting about this one. Maybe it was the fact that they were completely alone and there was no one to stop Marceline from slowly unbuttoning Bonni’s flannel and sliding her hands under her plain white t-shirt. Bonni moaned softly and broke their contact to lift the shirt above her head, revealing a white cotton bra. She moved her hands behind her head and let her hair fall out of its ponytail in a great red cascade. Marceline stared at her hair, then her chest, then her eyes in admiration. “You’re so beautiful, Bonni,” she said softly. Bonni blushed and smiled shyly.

“Thanks. You are, too,” she said timidly. She tugged at the hem of Marceline’s grey tank top in a silent question, before Marceline got the hint and slid it over her head. She kissed Bonni again and moved one hand up to cup her left breast. Bonni moved her hands down to caress the smooth muscles of Marceline’s stomach. She felt Marceline tense up, then relax at her gentle touch. She slid her hands lower, to Marceline’s hips, and toyed with her belt loops. Marceline groaned and gently pushed Bonni off her. “I just need to take my pants off,” she explained.

“Oh! Right,” Bonni said before swinging her legs off the bed and moving her hands to the waistband of her own jeans. She slid them down to her knees before she realized in silent horror that she was wearing skinny jeans. “Fuck,” she muttered under her breath, trying to figure out the best way to take them off. Marceline (who was already clad in only a bra and her underwear) noticed Bonni’s silent struggle and kneeled in front of her.

“Here. Let me,” she said gently and slid first the ends of Bonni’s pant legs over her feet, then removed the whole article.

“Thanks,” Bonni mumbled, embarrassed. Marceline once again took her chin in her hand.

“No need to be embarrassed. It took me years to master the art of taking off skinny jeans,” she said reassuringly. Then her expression went from playful and assuring to serious and concerned. “You’re absolutely sure you want to do this? Like, 100%?” she asked seriously. Bonni nodded sincerely. “I need to hear you say it,” Marceline said, kindly but firmly.

“I want this, Marceline,” Bonni said quietly but confidently. Marceline sucked in a shaky breath.

“And you’ll tell me if I’m doing anything you don’t like?” she asked. Bonni nodded.

“Yes,” she said, remembering to say it out loud. Marceline nodded and smiled gratefully.

“Thank you, I know sometimes I can be kind of intimidating,” she said apologetically. “I just...need to know you want it. Consent is...” she trailed off. Bonni saw the now pained expression on her face and pulled Marceline up so their faces were level and kissed her, short and sweet.

“It’s ok, I get it. I want to do this with you,” she said softly. Marceline smiled again and nodded. She crawled on top of Bonni so that she was on her hands and knees above her.

“Now,” she said huskily. “Where were we?”

*~*~*

Bonni woke up in a strange room in a strange bed with no underwear on, and she had no idea what the bjork was going on. She sat up anxiously. Why wasn’t she wearing underwear? What day was it? Did she have work? If she did, she would have to eat breakfast quickly, because judging from the bright light streaming through the unfamiliar windows, she had slept in. She looked down at her body, and saw that she was wearing an unfamiliar black t-shirt with some cartoonishly violent decals on it. Some lollipops and a snake, it seemed at a glance.

She heard a muffled sound of protest to her left and an arm feebly trying to pull her back down into the bed. She turned to her left, and everything came back.

“Mmmm...too early. Don’ get up...wanna sleep cuddle,” Marceline mumbled semi-coherently. Bonni almost laughed in her remembrance, relief, and happiness.

_“Can I sleep in one of your shirts?” Bonni asked, tired but happy. Marceline laughed softly._

_“You’ve got your own shirt literally right there, you know,” she replied, already standing up and moving to her small dresser._

_“I know, but you smell really good. It’s just...ugh I don’t know! We just had sex and you smell really good and I want to sleep in one of your shirts! Is that too much to ask!?” Bonni exclaimed. Marceline laughed again and shook her head, tossing Bonni a dark t-shirt._

_“Nah, you’re ok. I get it,” Marceline replied. She crawled back on to the bed and kissed Bonni softly, still on her hands and knees. She slipped under the covers and buried her face in Bonni’s fiery hair. “You smell good, too.”_

Bonni felt a pang of heat shoot from her heart to her stomach and lower as she remembered the details of the night before. She held the neck of the shirt to her nose and inhaled deeply. She would never get tired of that scent.

“Ok, I won’t get up. Go back to sleep,” Bonni murmured gently, lying back down. Marceline nuzzled her head into the crook of Bonni’s neck and left her arm around Bonni’s stomach.

“Mm, ‘kay,” she replied drowsily, already half asleep. Bonni couldn’t wipe the content smile off her face if she wanted to.

Marceline was positively stunning, even when she was asleep. No, especially when she was asleep. Was that creepy? She didn’t think so, and if it was, then she was a creep because Marceline looked beautiful with her hair all messy and matted, her lips slightly parted, her eyelashes fluttering ever so slightly, her cheeks painted a soft shade of pink. Bonni could’ve stared at her for hours. She probably would’ve, if not for the loud entrance of two very excited roommates.

“Yo, Marcy! Kompy’s Kastle 3 is banununununus!” Finn shouted from the foyer, his voice slightly muffled through the door.

“Yeah! Also Prismo gave us pickles! Also I’m making waffles!” Jake chimed in excitedly. Marceline opened her eyes and sat up, wearing her gray tank top from the night before. She rubbed her eyes blearily and groaned when she heard the commotion. She turned to Bonni, now alert and urgent.

“Ok, my roommates are here. They’re pretty cool, but they’re...easily excitable, shall we say. So be warned,” she said hurriedly. Bonni nodded confusedly and fumbled for her glasses. Marceline grabbed them from her dresser and handed them to Bonni.

“Ok, uh-”

She was interrupted by the door banging open and a blonde boy in a white bear hat throwing his arms open. He started singing an exaggerated vibrato.

“Maaaaaaaaaaaarceliii-oh shit, sorry!” Finn exclaimed as he hastily backed out of the room and shut the door. “Jake’s making waffles! Also tell your lady friend I like her glasses!” he called through the door. Marceline rolled her eyes and flopped down onto her pillows. Bonni ran her fingers through Marceline’s hair soothingly (whether she was soothing Marceline or herself, who’s to say?). Marceline in turn gently stroked Bonni’s thigh with her thumb, and they stayed that way for a few minutes, just basking in each other’s affection.

“Finn likes your glasses,” Marceline finally said. They burst out laughing, not calming down for a good 5 minutes. Bonni finally wiped the tears from her eyes and asked where the bathroom was.

“Second door on your left,” Marceline said, and then pointed to her tiny closet. “If you want to take a shower, there should be a few towels in there. Don’t use the Curious George one or you die.” Bonni grimaced and padded over to the closet. She found two towels folded up on the top shelf: one had Curious George emblazoned on it, and one was plain blue. Bonni grabbed the blue one and wrapped it around her bare legs. She closed the closet door and was about to leave when Marceline called to her.

“Wait, Bonni! Do you...uh...want to stay for waffles?” she asked hesitantly. Bonni heard the deeper question and smiled softly but brightly.

“Yeah,” she said. “I’ll stay.”

*~*~*

Bonni filled up what must’ve been her millionth pint of the night and unenthusiastically slid it across the counter to the man who had requested it. She smiled tiredly at his thanks. She looked at her watch and groaned. _Only 3 more hours and I can go to sleep! Yay!_ She walked down the bar to a man who was waiting to order his drink and tried to seem engaged. He asked for something or other, but in all honesty Bonni wasn’t paying attention, not really. She was functioning purely on muscle memory, zoning out as she filled up his glass. She hadn’t felt this tired and bored in a long time.

“Oh hey! The Cake Pops, awesome! I saw them live, you know,” the man across the counter said. Bonni shook her head in an attempt to make herself more alert.

“What?” she asked. The man gestured to the t-shirt under her blue and purple checked flannel.

“The Cake Pops? The band on your shirt?” he clarified. Bonni shook her head and smiled wearily.

“I’m sorry, I don’t know what you’re talking about. This shirt was a gift from my girlfriend,” Bonni explained. The man shrugged.

“Well, they’re still a great band, you should give them a listen,” he said. Bonni nodded, trying to make it seem like she would actually listen to the band that she was apparently advertising on her torso.

“I might have to, seeing as I’m wearing their merchandise,” Bonni replied. The man laughed and said something vaguely affirmative, but Bonni wasn’t listening. She excused herself to serve a woman staring at her phone who had just stepped up to the bar. She was halfway through trying not to claw the woman’s eyes out (How hard is it to look at the person you’re addressing? Honestly!) when a group of people entered the bar. She tiredly looked up and her face immediately brightened when she saw the trio that burst through the door.

“Dude, all I’m saying is that Link and Sidon are very compatible, that’s all-”

“Nah, you’re not thinking clearly. You want so badly to have a gay couple that you’re blind to the fact that he’s a fucking shark! Paya is legitimately kind and-”

“Nonononono, you guys are both wrong. He’s gotta be with Zelda man, that’s just how it works! They’re the two main protagonists, it’s meant to be!”

Marceline, Jake, and Finn were arguing in turn about the Legend of Zelda franchise (As much as Bonni didn’t care for video games, she knew what the Legend of Zelda was, thank you very much), but Bonni could care less about who Link should be making out with and more about how flippin’ adorable Marceline’s cat sweater was. Marceline rolled her eyes at Finn and Jake and caught Bonni’s eye. Bonni grinned and waved at her, who gestured for Finn and Jake to follow her and made her way over to the bar. Bonni carelessly set the rude woman’s drink in front of her (she didn’t even acknowledge Bonni, just started sipping from the glass) and kissed Marceline chastely over the bar.

“What are you doing here? I thought the Scream Queens were playing over at the Porkhouse Pub,” she asked happily. Marceline shrugged.

“Well, Keila got sick and I thought you could use a nice surprise. Plus I wouldn’t be able to live with myself if I missed our-” she pulled out her phone and scrutinized it for a moment “-12 day anniversary,” she said, smirking playfully. Bonni rolled her eyes but failed to keep a smile off her face.

“Yeah, also we want alcohol!” Finn said excitedly, spinning on his barstool. Jake fist bumped him.

Marceline rolled her eyes goodnaturedly. “Anyway, we’ll have-”

“A pint of Bell’s, a pint of High Watermelon and a Shirley Temple,” Bonni finished with a grin. Marceline smiled sheepishly.

“You know us too well,” she said. Bonni shrugged and turned to fill up their glasses. She handed Marceline her drink and winked.

“On the house,” she said cheekily. Marceline smiled and took a sip.

“Aw, sweet! Friendship discounts!” Jake shouted happily. Bonni shook her head.

“Not so fast, you bozos have to pay full price. Marceline gets a girlfriend discount,” Bonni said, filling up a second glass. Jake pouted exaggeratedly. Marceline caught his eye and waggled her eyebrows smugly.

“Bunk,” Finn said disappointedly. Bonni rolled her eyes as she handed him his drink.

“Ok, maybe you can get 50% off,” she said with mock reluctance. Finn and Jake immediately brightened and high fived.

“Yussss! Twice the beer!” Finn cried as he downed half his drink. Bonni shook her head as she handed Jake his glass.

“I’m gonna regret that, aren’t I?” she asked Marceline. Marceline nodded and took another sip out of her crimson beverage.

“It’s all good, though,” she said reassuringly. “That means they’ll fall right asleep when we get home.” She raised her eyebrows again, this time suggestively. Bonni blushed in spite of herself and huffed.

“Sometimes I have to remind myself why you’re my girlfriend,” she said sarcastically.

“You liiiiiiike meeeee,” Marceline said in a sing-song voice, puckering her lips. Bonni rolled her eyes and kissed her again.

“Yeah, I do,” she said begrudgingly.

“Yo, Bonni! Fill ‘er up again, will you?” After Bonni didn’t move and raised an eyebrow, Finn sighed. “Please?” Bonni smiled and took his glass.

“Me too, please! And start a tab, we’ll be here a while,” Jake added, holding out his empty glass and credit card. Bonni refilled the glass first, then walked over to the register. As she swiped Jake’s card, she looked back over at the trio that she had become so fond of over the last two weeks or so. Marceline was trying to get one of the three cherries (technically she was only supposed to put in two, but come on. Three is the magic number, right?) out of the bottom of her glass with her straw. She had a look of fierce concentration on her face that was unbearably adorable and Finn and Jake were cheering her on, already a little tipsy. She wondered about the warm feeling in her stomach as she handed Jake back his credit card. She gazed at Marceline’s long, silky black hair and her prominent canines barely visible through her slightly parted lips. She caught Bonni looking and blushed in spite of herself.

“Like what you see?” she asked with a slight waver in her voice. Bonni smiled.

“Yes,” she replied without breaking eye contact. Marceline smiled a smile that was somehow shy and confident at the same time and rested her chin on her hand.

“Sap,” she said playfully. Bonni shrugged and smiled.

“You like it,” she replied. Marceline took another sip of her drink.

“Yeah, I do,” she admitted, trying to look annoyed. The happy smile on her face betrayed her true feelings, though. Maybe it was too early, or maybe she was overthinking things (as per usual), and the idea certainly scared the buns out of her, but at that moment Bonni was 100% certain that she was in love.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Marceline is (obviously) wearing her outfit from 'Varmints' for the first part and her outfit from 'Bad Little Boy' for the second part. Obviously Bonni never wears flannels or skinny jeans in the show, but I feel like she would totally be into that aesthetic if she was freed from her duties as princess. Also I'm gonna add one or two short chapters to this, probably gonna try to keep them under 2,000 words. Please leave kudos or a comment, again especially if you have thoughts on the fate of Young Love. Hope you enjoyed!


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Marceline tries to do something nice for their one month anniversary, but things don't quite go according to plan.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter two! I realized I didn't give Finn or Jake jobs, and I couldn't really find a good place to fit that info in to the story with this chapter, so Jake is a (romance) novelist trying to get published, and Finn is a police officer. I didn't really want to do a bunch of research about police, and tbh I'd like it if Finn had a different job, but police just fits so well and I don't really care all that much since he doesn't even show up in the story very often. And I kinda want to keep Prismo a mystery. Stravagante means extravagant in italian. I got lazy, sue me. Anyway, leave kudos/comments if you like the chapter. And I don't own Adventure Time or The Princess Bride. Enjoy!

“Bonnibel! Your chariot awaits!” Marceline called from the entryway of Bonni’s apartament. She heard shuffling, then a muffled ‘Be right there!’. She ran her hands down her dress nervously. It was a simple black summer dress, with red flowers sparsely decorating it. She thought it looked nice in the mirror, but now she wasn’t so sure. Plus, it was a brisk night (even for mid June), and she knew it would only get cooler. Maybe she should’ve brought a jacket.

“Oh my god, Abadeer. That dress is so cute!” said Lottie, rushing to see Marceline’s outfit before she left. Marceline sighed quietly. Was she glad that Lottie had found her? No. Would she like to get out of here as fast as possible? Yes.

“Oh, uh, thanks Lottie,” she said, backing away ever so slightly. “I love the flowers! Although, isn’t it a bit chilly for that? That would look so nice with, like, a thin black cardigan! Too bad,” she said, pursing her lips. Marceline closed her eyes. She’d count to ten, but Lottie started talking again. “I love the lipstick, too! Totally scarlet, it really pops. That mascara is nice too, but I think some eyeliner-”

Thankfully, Lottie was interrupted by Bonni’s other roommate, Lady.

“Hey, Lottie! Your phone just lit up, pretty sure Brad-”

Lottie was gone at ‘your phone lit up’.

“Bye Marce, love the dress!” Lottie called as she raced to the sitting room. Lady smiled apologetically.

“Sorry, I tried to stop her. The dress really does look nice,” she said kindly. Marceline smiled gratefully.

“Thanks,” she said. “I like the new highlights.” She gestured to Lady’s hair. Lady ran her hand through her hair, which now sported a lock that was dyed the full rainbow.

“Oh, thanks! I couldn’t pick a color, so I just went with all of them,” she laughed, twirling her hair around her finger. "Jake says it's very me, which feels like a back-handed compliment," she said goodnaturedly. Marceline smiled appraisingly.

“Well, it looks good,” she said. "And I have a feeling Jake meant it in a good way, it does exude Lady Raina." Lady smiled and nodded.

"Thanks," she said again. Marceline nodded and checked her phone.

“Is Bonni trying on her entire wardrobe in there? We’re gonna be late!” she said impatiently. Lady grimaced and ran into Bonni’s room. A few muffled ‘I’m fine, I got it’s and ‘I’m just trying to help!’s later, and Bonni came out of her room, Lady in tow. Bonni was wearing a pink button down shirt with the sleeves rolled up to just above the elbows, and a simple pair of black dress pants. Her hair was done up in a ponytail, but other than that, she did little to alter her appearance. She moved over to Marceline so that there were mere inches separating them.

“You look...really nice, Bonni,” Marceline said, clearing her throat. Bonni smiled shyly and kissed Marceline chastely.

“You look nice, too. I like the flowers,” she said softly. Lady cleared her throat.

“No ‘thank you’? Rolling up those sleeves wasn’t easy, you know,” she prompted Bonni. She sighed dramatically.

“Thank you, Lady,” she said with a smile, turning to her roommate. Lady nodded, satisfied.

“We should go if we don’t want to be late. They’ll give our reservation to someone else if we’re not there by 8:00,” Marceline said a tad anxiously, glancing up at the clock that adorned the wall of the kitchen. 7:47, it read. Bonni nodded.

“Bye Lady! See you in a few hours,” she called as she and Marceline walked out the door.

“Have fun!” Lady replied before Bonni shut the door behind her. Marceline took her hand a bit urgently and led her down the stairs and out of the apartment building. She looked up and down the street anxiously for a cab. Bonni raised an eyebrow.

“I thought you said ‘My chariot awaits’?” she asked. Marceline swatted her shoulder.

“Yeah, your chariot is a taxi cab. I’ll let you know when I have enough money to buy a car I don’t need,” she shot back. Bonni raised her hands in surrender.

“Touché,” she replied. A cab pulled up beside them and Marceline hurriedly climbed in, Bonni right behind her.

“Where to?” the driver asked.

“Stravagante,” she said, buckling her seat belt. Bonni widened her eyes and stared at Marceline wordlessly. “What? You like italian food and Stravagante is a nice restaurant. And 1 month together is a big deal, right?” she asked, now feeling unsure of herself. “If you don’t like it-”

“No, no, it’s perfect. You’re sweet,” she said hurriedly. Marceline smiled a bit shyly. She glanced at the taxi drivers GPS. 11 minutes, it read. That left them 2 minutes to spare. Her heart sped up anxiously.

“Ok, good. And we can totally bail if you don’t like it,” she said, trying to sound reassuring. Bonni nodded and smiled.

“I know. I’m honestly kind of excited. I’ve never been to Stravagante before,” she said with a small, but exhilarated smile. Marceline felt something swell in her chest at the sight. She didn’t want to jinx it, but she was certain the feeling was love.

*~*~*

Bonni was shooting quizzical glances over at Marceline for the entire drive. Sometimes Marceline would look over and send her a smile that was tinged with anxiety, and sometimes Marceline would just be looking between the window and the driver’s GPS every few minutes or so. She knew that Marceline was worried about being late, and also knew that there was nothing she could do to help. She settled for tracing her name into various places on Marceline’s thigh. Sometimes she switched fonts, knowing that it was silly, that the letters were invisible anyway, but she couldn’t help herself. Marceline smiled at her gratefully, setting Bonni’s heart fluttering. God, she was in deep.

The cab stopped unexpectedly, and Bonni glanced at the GPS. It still read 2 minutes. She and Marceline shared a questioning look before the driver spoke. “Sorry, ladies. This as far as I’ll take you, there’s too much traffic up by the restaurant. It’d be faster to walk the rest of the way,” he said apologetically. Marceline nodded and dug through her wallet for a few bills to tip him.

“Thank you, have a good night!” she said hurriedly, practically dragging Bonni out of the car. She stumbled out of the car, knowing that Marceline was being so careless because she was anxious. She absently questioned whether this restaurant was worth all the fuss. She plastered on a smile and took Marceline’s hand.

“Shall we?” she asked. Marceline smiled tightly and started walking down the sidewalk, her pace noticeably faster than normal. Bonni struggled to keep up, especially since Marceline was a good few inches taller than her, and therefore had longer legs. They walked like that for a minute, hand in hand. Or at least, Bonni told herself they were holding hands. It felt more like Marceline was walking a dog, urging her to walk faster. Marceline kept shooting her irritated little glances, silently pressing her to pick up the pace. Bonni would always speed up a bit, Marceline would look away, satisfied, and 30 seconds later she was back with that annoyed look. Bonni tried not to let it bother her. Marceline just didn’t want to be late, everything would be ok when they were at the restaurant.

They were nearly there when one of Bonni’s sleeves came loose. She cursed quietly and stopped walking. “Hold on Marcy, my sleeve is loose. Do you think you could roll it back up for me? Really quick,” she added at Marceline’s exasperated expression. Marceline bit her lip and looked over at the restaurant, then back at Bonni.

“Could this wait until we’re at the restaurant?” she asked hopefully. Bonni knit her eyebrows.

“C’mon, it’ll be really-”

“Quick, yeah, I know. Can you wait, like, 30 seconds? We’re gonna be late if we don’t hurry, and I don’t even want to tell you how much money I spent on this reservation. I mean, honestly, I try to do a nice thing for you and you need me to roll up your fucking sleeve because you can’t wait till we’re at the restaurant that’s 30 feet away. I mean, sometimes you make everything so much harder than it needs to be, Bonni!” she said angrily. Bonni looked at her for a few seconds, hurt written all over her face. Tears prickled at the corners of her eyes. Marceline stiffened, realizing the impact of her outburst. She reached out to put her hand on Bonni’s shoulder. “Bonni, I-” She shrugged Marceline away and looked at her coldly.

“No, you’re right. Wouldn’t want to be late,” she said tightly as she brushed past Marceline, blinking back tears. Marceline hesitated behind her for a few seconds, before hurrying to catch up. She opted for silence, which Bonni was glad for. How could her feelings switch from love and compassion to anger and hurt so quickly?

She pushed open the fancy dark oak door to Stravagante and stood behind a couple that looked not much younger than them. She could feel Marceline desperately trying to think of something to say behind her.

“Bonni, I’m sorry. I’m just-”

“Anxious about being late, I know. It’s fine, I get it,” she said in a clipped tone, fiddling with her shirt sleeve.

“No, I-”

“I said it’s fine!” she whispered forcibly, shutting Marceline up. She sighed frustratedly and shoved her sleeve up to above her elbow. If she kept her arm crooked, it wouldn’t slide down. It would have to do. The couple ahead of them thanked the hostess excitedly and hurried to a table set for two. Marceline stepped up to the hostess’s booth.

“Hi, I have a reservation for two,” Marceline said politely. The hostess nodded and smiled.

“Can I have a name?” she asked cheerfully.

“Marceline Abadeer,” Marceline said, gently bouncing on the balls of her feet and drumming her fingers on the edge of the booth. The hostess smile crumpled into an apologetic frown.

“I’m sorry, we just gave your reservation to the couple over there,” she said, pointing to the couple from before. Bonni could see the subtle change in Marceline’s smile, from anxious to defeated. Still, she maintained her polite expression. “If you’d like to place a reservation for a later date, I’d be happy to help you with that. I’m terribly sorry,” she apologized again. Marceline shook her head.

“That’s alright, thank you anyway,” she said in a wavering voice. She hurried out the door, covertly swiping an arm across her eyes. Bonni turned and forced a smile at the hostess before following Marceline out the door.

She found her sitting on the steps outside of Stravagante, her head in her hands. She shuddered with quiet sobs. Pedestrians spared her a fleeting look of sympathy before moving on hurriedly. Bonni thought she looked so broken and sad, she just wanted to kiss her until she felt better. No, she scolded herself. You’re supposed to be angry! She shooed away the imaginary voice and sat down beside Marceline, curling her arm around her shoulders. Marceline leaned her head into the crook of Bonni’s neck, getting the collar of her nice shirt damp with tears. Bonni couldn’t bring herself to care.

“I’m sorry I yelled at you,” Marceline whispered into Bonni’s neck. She looked up into Bonni’s face and Bonni’s heart ached. Marceline’s eyes were ringed with red and there were dark tear tracks down her face on account of her mascara. Her nose was red as well, and the lipstick on her bottom lip was smudged on account of excessive gnawing on her bottom lip (a habit that Bonni found endearing, but also worrisome). “You shouldn’t have to be on the receiving end of my anxiety. I really wanted to do something nice for you ‘cause you’re so beautiful and smart and amazing and I don’t deserve you and I screwed it all up and I’m really really sorry,” she said quietly, and with a raspy quality to her voice that came with crying. She buried her face in Bonni’s neck again. “Please don’t break up with me,” she whispered. She sounded so tired and sad and defeated, and Bonni couldn’t help kissing the top of Marceline’s head and squeezing her arm.

“You won’t get rid of me that easily, Abadeer,” she whispered, kissing Marceline’s head again. “I forgive you.” Marceline looked up into Bonni’s face again, and she couldn’t help but marvel at how piercingly green Marceline’s eyes were. She couldn’t name the exact shade of green they were, and if she ever saw the same hue anywhere else (which she doubted), she decided she would call it ‘Marceline Green’. “Did you know only 2% of the world’s population has green eyes?” she asked.

“...what?”

“Only 2%. You’re so beautiful, Marceline,” Bonni murmured, this time pressing her lips to Marceline’s and leaving them there for a few seconds. When they parted, she leaned her forehead against Marceline’s.

“I’m in love with you,” Marceline blurted. Bonni’s eyes widened. She didn’t say anything for a few seconds, just stared at Marceline, dumbstruck.

“You are?” she asked softly. Marceline nodded.

“I have been for a while, I think,” she replied without a hint of nervousness. Bonni kissed her again.

“I’m in love with you, too,” she whispered. She leaned her forehead against Marceline’s, and for a good minute, just gazed into her piercing green eyes. “Can we get off the curb?” she finally asked. Marceline laughed and nodded. She stood up and took Bonni’s hands, hauling her off the ground.

“Hey Bonni,” Marceline said, bumping their noses together.

“What?” Bonni replied.

“I love you,” Marceline said giddily. Bonni laughed quietly.

“I love you too. What do you say we order takeout from Bertucci’s and watch the Princess Bride?” Marceline smiled and kissed her.

“I like that plan. But let’s do it at my place, I don’t want Lottie to find out we missed the reservation.” Bonni sucked in a breath.

“Yeah, good point. Finn and Jake are home, though, right?” she asked.

“Finn’s out with Prismo, bowling or whatever. Jake’s home, but he said he’d be writing, so he won’t be much of a bother.” She paused, then raised an eyebrow. “Why do you ask?” Bonni blushed and stood closer to the street, looking for another cab.

“Just so I have a rough estimate of the noise level, that’s all,” she said, not meeting Marceline’s eyes. Marceline let it drop. She noticed that Bonni’s sleeve was still unrolled and unbuttoned, waving in the cool breeze.

“Do you still want me to roll up your sleeve for you?” she asked, feeling guilty despite Bonni’s forgiveness. Bonni looked at the sleeve, then at Marceline. A funny sort of smile graced her features.

“No, it’s ok. I kinda like it.”

*~*~*

Bonni lay in Marceline’s bed later that night, clad in her adult sized feeties (which only Marceline knew she owned), just breathing in the soothing scent of Marceline’s hair and tracing delicate patterns on the spot where her shirt rode up ever so slightly. She lazily thought that cuddling like this was an entirely different kind of intimacy than sex. She could cuddle with Marceline like this forever.

“Hey, Marcy? You awake?”

“Mmm. No.”

“Then who am I talking to?” Marceline was silent for a few seconds after that, trying to formulate a response.

“God,” she decided. “This is a dream.” Bonni laughed quietly.

“Hey, I just wanted to say that tonight was really nice. Even though the restaurant thing didn’t work out, I just like spending time with you. Sitting in bed with italian take out and a movie is awesome.” She yawned. “This is the best one month anniversary ever,” she said, wrapping her arms around Marceline and burying her face in her long dark mane. “I love you.”

Marceline sighed happily and kissed Bonni’s forehead. “I love you too. And...thank you. For sticking with me, even though I was being a tranch.” Bonni kissed Marceline’s neck.

“I have a feeling you’re stuck with me for a long, long time,” she murmured.

“You mean that?” Marceline asked hopefully.

“Yeah,” Bonni replied, yawning again. “I do."

Marceline rolled over so that she was facing Bonni. She opened her mouth to reply, but then realized that there was nothing really to say. She closed her mouth and stared into Bonni’s deep blue eyes. Bonni closed the distance between them and kissed her softly, her face portraying a beautiful tenderness. Marceline rested her hand on the curve of Bonni’s hip and drew her closer.

And it was like this that they both drifted off to sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Lottie is LSP if you couldn't tell. Also, I didn't want to do the whole 'woah your roommate is dating my roommate!?' thing and again, it didn't really fit. So Jake and Lady are dating and that's all I have to say about that. The Princess Bride is my favorite movie of all time, go watch it if you haven't seen it. Or don't, whatevs. If you don't know what feeties are, look up 'blanket sleeper'. I just remember calling them feeties. Again, leave kudos/comments if you enjoyed, thanks for reading!


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, I'm back! Remember when I said that I'd try to keep these chapters under 2k words? That was hilarious. But in all seriousness, sorry it took so long to update. Lots of things going on, school is starting up again (which is crazy weird, I'm sure you understand), and I'm just lazy and procrastinate a lot. I hate to say that this is probably not going to be the only sizable gap between chapters, so for that I am sorry. But! This chapter is almost 7k words, so enjoy. Carl is Cinnamon Bun, Kevin isn't anyone, and Sally, Wilma, and Becky are Slime Princess, Wildberry Princess, and Breakfast princess respectively. None of these characters actually showed up and I was looking for characters from the show so I can keep the OCs to a minimum. Shakespearean translations will be in the notes at the end. Leave kudos/comments if you like, enjoy!

Marceline took a deep breath and knocked twice on the door in front of her. She heard a muffled ‘Be right there!’ from what sounded like Bonnibel, but she couldn’t be sure. A few seconds passed, then she heard shuffling on the other side of the door, followed by a large THUD, followed by a low string of curse words. She suppressed a laugh. Finally, Bonni opened the door wearing a pair of pajama pants with little winking smiley faces on them and Marceline’s old band t-shirt that she wore far too much for it to be considered clean. It was a funny contrast between the happy little faces on her pants and the assorted dead candy on her shirt. Funny and adorable.

“Oh, Marceline, hey! What are you doing here?” she asked with a surprised smile, stepping aside to let Marceline in.

“Is wanting to surprise my girlfriend a valid reason?” she asked defensively, sliding her red boots off at the door and avoiding Bonni’s eyes. Bonni raised an eyebrow.

“Yes, but I’ve known you long enough that I can tell when you have ulterior motives,” she said skeptically, gesturing for Marceline to come into the kitchen. Lady and Lottie were on the couch watching some soap opera. They looked up and gave mumbled greetings. Marceline waved at them, then sighed in defeat.

“Ok, fine. You caught me. The Scream Queens and I are playing a show at the Morrow Tavern tomorrow night at 8, and I thought, y’know, since tomorrow’s a Saturday and you don’t have work on Saturdays, that maybe you’d like to come...see it?” she asked, suddenly nervous. Bonni smiled and nodded enthusiastically.

“Sure, I’d love to! That sounds great!” she said excitedly. “Why didn’t you just tell me in the first place?” Marceline shrugged.

“I guess I worried that you wouldn’t be able to come,” she replied. Bonni pursed her lips and nodded, looking guilty all of a sudden. They were silent a few moments, then Marceline cleared her throat.

“Well, I’ll pick you up before the show, then,” she said, forcing a smile. She couldn’t help but notice that Bonni left unspoken the last few times Marceline played shows that she’d ‘love to come see’. The shows that she just ‘couldn’t make it to’ because some situation arose at work or at home that she just couldn’t ignore. She tried not to think about the fact that, while Bonni had heard Marceline play music before, she had never been to a single one of Marceline’s shows. If she didn’t know better, she’d think that Bonni was purposefully avoiding her performances. _This time will be different_ , she said to herself. She pushed down the part of her that whispered _That’s what you said last time._

Bonni smiled again and nodded. “Sounds good! And while you’re here…” she looked around the kitchen, then procured a sheet of paper from a drawer near the fridge. “I found this cupcake recipe online that looked pretty good and thought you might like to make them with me. You know how bad I am at cooking,” she said with a sheepish smile. Marceline chuckled.

“Yeah, you are,” she said, and moved to look at the recipe, which Bonni handed to her. “Alright, let’s see,” she muttered as she scanned the page. She smiled when she saw that the cupcakes were red velvet. _She knows me so well_ , she thought. She looked up after a few seconds. “Yeah, seems pretty easy. Sounds good, too,” she said, handing Bonni back the recipe.

“I’m glad you said that, because I just so happen to have all the ingredients handy!” Bonni said.

“Whoa! How convenient!” Marceline said with faux surprise.

“Right?” Bonni said, reaching into the pantry for flour and cocoa powder. Marceline felt an overwhelming sensation of love then. She felt suddenly very grateful for Bonni’s spontaneous baking projects that, more often than not, turned out a wee bit different than the recipe. She was grateful for the intense focus that Bonni put into everything she did. And she was grateful for the little things, like the way she scrunched her nose to push her glasses up her nose, then pushed them up with her hands a few seconds later. She was grateful for the way she redid her whole ponytail when a strand of hair fell out and tickled her face. She wondered what she did to deserve the love of the most beautiful and amazing girl on the planet.

Bonni didn’t have a piping bag on hand, so each cupcake had a sloppy dollop of cream cheese frosting on top, and some were sizably larger than others, but they tasted amazing (which could not be said about Bonni’s other cooking endeavors). As Bonni kissed Marceline under the pretense of there being frosting on her lip, she sighed happily. _Damn_ , she thought. _I’m lucky to be in love._

*~*~*

Approximately 24 hours later, sitting in the backseat of a taxi with Bonni (No instruments, thankfully. She and the members of the Scream Queens had finally pooled enough money to buy a van that Bongo drove to bring the instruments to the venue beforehand after several incidents involving minor injuries and a few pissed off cab drivers), she finally allowed herself to hope that Bonni really would follow through this time. Only about 5 minutes until they were at the Morrow, and she hadn’t bailed yet. _We’re in a taxi on the way to the venue_ , she thought. _She wouldn’t leave now._

“I’m so excited to see you perform! Have I heard any of the songs you’re gonna play?” Bonni asked enthusiastically. Her obvious cheer eased any of Marceline’s remaining doubts.

“Yeah, you’ve heard most of them. But, uh, I think you might be surprised by one of them,” she replied, suddenly nervous about singing with her girlfriend in the audience. Bonni squealed in delight.

“Ooh, is it a love song? Wait, don’t tell me! I want to be surprised!” she bubbled. She was practically bouncing in her seat. A few seconds passed before she asked “Will I get to meet your bandmates? I’d really like to meet them, if it’s ok with you, of course-”

Marceline interrupted her. “Yeah, you can meet them if you want to.”-at this Bonni clapped her hands happily-“For reference: Bongo is the big one, Keila has the poofy hair, and Guy is the other one,” she explained. Bonni nodded studiously, evidently memorizing the descriptions. Marceline had almost relaxed when Bonni’s phone rang. Her heart seized immediately. Bonni jumped, then dug in her back pocket for her phone. Marceline only heard Bonni’s side of the conversation, but it was enough to know that she shouldn’t have gotten her hopes up.

“Hello?...Oh, hey Carl...Uh-huh...What!? This is the third time in two weeks you’ve needed me to come in!...You say that every time!” She sounded angry now, and Marceline could see that her brows were furrowed in concentration. Maybe she wouldn’t bail? Her heart dropped into her stomach again when her face softened.

“Oh, I see...Well maybe I could…” she trailed off, looking at Marceline. Her head was leaned against the window, and she was blinking back hot tears of anger and frustration. She heard the conversation pick up again.

“Oh! Yeah, I’m still here. And I actually can’t help you tonight.” She glanced at Marceline, who had perked up at Bonni’s rebuttal “Well, there’s Sally. And Wilma. And, if you’re really desperate, you could call Becky...Yeah, I hate Becky too, that’s why she’s a last resort...Carl, I’m sorry but I really don’t have time for this...Yes, I’m with Marceline...Come on Carl! You can’t guilt trip me for being in love!” Marceline smiled at this. It was still jarring to know that Bonni loved her. Just then the taxi pulled up to the quaint looking pub. Bonni glanced up.

“Look, Carl, I’ve got to go...Why couldn’t I-Because I’ve missed every other one because you can’t handle a busy pub!...Maybe you should quit then Carl, I don’t know and I quite honestly don’t have time for this.” Marceline heard muffled protests on the other side of the phone, then Bonni said “Bye, Carl,” rolled her eyes, and hung up. “That guy, honestly! He says he’s 29, but I don’t buy it. He’s such a baby sometimes-” She was interrupted by Marceline unbuckling herself and hugging her tightly.

“Thank you for not bailing on me,” she mumbled into the crook of Bonni’s neck. Bonni froze for a second, then kissed the top of her head, hoping the gesture conveyed what words couldn’t. The taxi driver cleared his throat.

“I’m all for love and kisses, but maybe you want to get out sometime soon?” Marceline blushed and extricated herself from Bonni’s arms. Bonni cleared her throat and climbed out of the car, Marceline behind her. She thanked the driver, tipped him, and took Bonni’s hand, leading her into The Morrow. There was a small stage in the back, looking like it hosted mostly young stand up comics and small bands. Marceline’s bandmates were already on the stage, setting up their instruments. Keila caught her eye end gestured with a mix of relief and impatience that Marceline should hurry up. She turned around to Bonni.

“Ok, we’re gonna start playing soon. Kevin should’ve reserved a table for you to sit at near the stage; he’s the owner of the pub. He’s right over there, he’ll probably show you to your seat,” she said hurriedly. Bonni smiled, albeit a little confusedly, and nodded. Marceline turned and hustled over to the stage, then paused. She hurried back and kissed Bonni, short but heated. “I love you,” she whispered.

“I love you too,” Bonni replied. “Now go play some music.” Marceline smiled, nodded, and made her way back towards the stage.

*~*~*

After an awkward conversation with Kevin about her reserved seat, she sat down at a small table near the stage and hoped no one talked to her. There was a seat next to her, and she desperately hoped that it remained unoccupied. It seems that a drum set had already been arranged onstage, as well as some small amps. A woman whom she could only assume was Keila plugged her guitar into one of the amps, resulting in a burst of feedback. Marceline was talking to Kevin a short distance from the stage, and Bongo and Guy (it was no wonder Marceline described him as the other one; he had no defining characteristics other than the fact that he looked like Shaggy from Scooby-Doo) were chatting by the drums. She was so absorbed in the goings-on of the band that she didn’t notice when someone sat next to her.

“Come here often?” an exaggeratedly suave voice asked. She jumped in surprise and turned. A skinny man dressed in black skinny jeans and a black muscle tee (which was comical, as the man was skinnier than a licorice whip) sat beside her. He had greasy blonde hair that was almost white, styled into a ridiculous mohawk that looked like a cross between a unicorn’s horn and a dead fish. His face was so pale it was almost gray. She wrinkled her nose in disgust.

“No,” she replied flatly. He leaned closer and inhaled. Bonni leaned away, her expression of disgust deepening.

“You all alone tonight, honey?” he asked, smirking predatorily. Bonni’s feelings went from annoyed to mildly afraid. Her mouth felt dry. She swallowed nervously.

“A-actually, I’m with my gir-my partner,” she quickly corrected herself. If she let this guy know she was into girls, it would open up a whole new set of directions this encounter could go, most of them bad. He smiled, seemingly indifferent to Bonni’s answer.

“And where is he now?” he asked with a grin. Bonni glanced up at the stage. Marceline was seemingly unaware of her plight. She didn’t want to say ‘onstage’, but there were only so many plausible places in the tavern that her imaginary boyfriend could be.

She settled for, “Around here somewhere.” The guy nodded.

“Well, if you ever need something a little stronger”-that had several meanings, and Bonni didn’t like any of them-“I’ll be around.” He grinned and winked, then sauntered off to another table.

Just then there was a sharp whine of a microphone from onstage, followed by Marceline asking “How are we tonight, Morrow?” There was a smattering of applause from the audience, and some assorted cheering. Bonni clapped too loudly, and whistled at a similar volume, drawing a few annoyed glances from the people sitting around her. She paid them no notice. She was gonna be an overly supportive girlfriend and there was nothing anyone could do to stop her. Marceline made eye contact with her for a split second, and Bonni flashed her a huge grin and two thumbs ups. Marceline flushed and looked away hurriedly, a small smile playing at her lips.

“Well we’ve got quite the show for you tonight, so buckle up,” she said, before plucking out a basic bassline on her dark crimson instrument. Keila’s guitar kicked in and Bonni could tell what song it was going to be already. It was one that Marceline had played for her several times before, but seeing her play it onstage, with her band, in her element, was a thousand times better. After the first number, the audience got more and more attentive, and after a half an hour, they were practically giving the Scream Queens a standing ovation. Presently, Marceline (now covered in a thin sheen of sweat which Bonni definitely didn’t find at all attractive, thank you very much, no sir...Ok fine, she did) addressed the crowd.

“What do you say we have a little change of pace, huh?” she asked. The audience cheered tentatively. “This is a song I wrote for someone very special to me. Someone who somehow puts up with all of my shit and loves me anyway.” Bonni’s heart started beating erratically. Marceline stopped sweeping her eyes across the people watching her perform and settled on Bonni. A small smile danced across her lips. “Someone who ropes me into spontaneous baking endeavors that turn out less than perfect nine times out of ten. Someone who wears a t-shirt with a band she’s never listened to on it all the time, because I gave it to her.” She swallowed nervously. “This song is for you, Bonnibel.” Bonni couldn’t take her eyes off the stage if she wanted to. Her heart beat thunderously. Marceline closed her eyes and took a deep breath, then started playing a slow tune on her bass.

So maybe Bonni wasn’t listening that closely to the lyrics, sue her. She got the gist, it was a beautiful love song about slow dancing, but really she was more focused on the way that Marceline sang it. She really put her heart and soul into it, she could tell that she meant every word of the song. And it was a beautiful song, with Keila on the backup vocals and Marceline singing in a soft, quiet voice that was a change from her usual bold tone. When the song was over, the crowd applauded harder than they had at any previous number. Bonni stood up and clapped, almost in a daze. When Marceline’s eyes met hers, she looked so proud and hopeful, Bonni couldn’t help it when tears sprung to her eyes. She clapped, and didn’t even try to fight the colossal grin from spreading across her face. Marceline seemed to take this as confirmation that Bonni liked the song, and soon she, too, was sporting an ear splitting grin.

“Thank you, we’ve got some merch in the back-” she gestured to a small foldable table with some shirts and hats and things on it, a man behind a cash register seated at it-“And be sure to keep an ear out for our next show!” There came a few assorted whistles and claps from the audience, and then the Scream Queens began unplugging their amps and dismantling Bongo’s drum set. Bonni clearly wasn’t going to be able to talk to Marcy for a few minutes, so she meandered over to the merch table to buy a hat or something. She couldn’t believe her eyes when she saw the man seated at the table was-

“Prismo!? What are you doing here?” she asked incredulously. He looked up and smiled. He had piercing blue eyes and curly, bright pink hair. He wore a Scream Queens t-shirt under a pink varsity jacket.

“Oh, hello Bonnibel! I’m surprised I haven’t seen you at any other concerts.” At this Bonni looked away guiltily. “Also I’m the Scream Queens’ manager,” he said smoothly. Bonni did a double take.

“ _You’re_ the Scream Queens’ manager?” she asked, taken aback. Prismo smiled cryptically.

“I’m a lot of things, Bonnibel,” he said mysteriously. “Would you like to buy something? We’ve got T-shirts, beanies, snapbacks, and a few hoodies, I think.” She surveyed the table, before picking up a black snapback with a red axe-bass and the words _Marceline and the Scream Queens_ emblazoned on it and reaching for her wallet.

“$11.95, please.” Bonni handed Prismo a ten and some ones, then fastened the hat to her head. It was a trucker hat, with mesh in the back. She decided she liked it. She thanked Prismo and walked back to where she could see the stage. She looked around, squinting her eyes in hopes of finding Marceline. Just then a pair of hands snaked around her waist and a familiar curtain of black hair tickled her cheek.

“Funny seeing you here,” Marceline purred into her ear. She pressed herself flush against Bonni’s back. Bonni blushed despite herself. She turned around, still maintaining the least amount of distance between them as possible. Face to face now, Marceline seemed nervous.

“Did you, uh, like the song?” she asked hesitantly. Bonni smiled giddily and nodded.

“It was amazing, Marcy. I didn’t know it was possible to be more in love with you than I am, yet here we are,” she replied, twirling Marceline’s hair in her fingers. Marceline breathed a sigh of relief.

“Ok good, I was really worried, ‘cause it’s different than a lot of my other songs and it seemed pretty cliché and I know you don’t usually like love songs and-”

“Hey, hey! Who could hate a love song that was written for them? I loved it Marceline, really.” She punctuated it with a kiss on Marceline’s cheek. The tension seemed to melt from her shoulders.

“Ok. Ok, you liked the song. That’s good. That’s great, even. One might even say that that’s fantastic!” Marceline said excitedly. Bonni laughed and kissed Marceline, slinging her arms around her neck.

“You’re so weird, I love you,” she murmured against Marceline’s lips.

“Love you too,” Marceline mumbled in reply. Bonni could feel Marceline open her mouth to deepen the kiss when she heard a wolf whistle from somewhere to her right. She broke apart from Marceline, looking in the direction of the whistle with mild anger and embarrassment.

Her eyes widened minutely when she saw the gross guy that was coming onto her earlier. She saw Marceline tense up in her peripheral vision. “Ash,” she growled through gritted teeth. The guy, Ash, sauntered over to them until he was standing mere feet away from them.

“Hey, Mar-Mar.” Bonni saw Marceline tense up even more at the nickname. “Don’t you two look pretty together,” he said, smirking. “I’m practically at full sail down here.” He gestured to the front of his pants. Bonni’s eyes didn’t follow his hand; she was disgusted after three sentences. Actually, she was disgusted when he sat down next to her before the show. She could practically feel her blood boil.

“What do you want, asshole?” Marceline asked in a clipped tone. Ash knitted his eyebrows, feigning hurt.

“I just wanted to say hello to a friend! And I guess I can assume this is _Bonnibel_?” he asked in a mocking tone, letting his gaze lazily run up and down Bonni’s figure. She felt horribly exposed under his sickeningly hungry leer. She crossed her arms over her chest, where Ash not-so-discreetly let his eyes linger. Marceline stepped forward a few inches.

“I’m not your friend, Ash. And Bonni and I were just leaving,” she said with a mix of anger and fear, taking Bonni’s hand as she said it. She felt infinitely more secure with her girlfriend’s fingers laced through hers. But she couldn’t help but notice that Marceline was gripping her fingers significantly tighter than usual.

“Well hey, before you go: just wanted to let you know that whenever you’re through with this-” he waved his hand at them dismissively, his face a picture of mild disgust-“phase, that I’ll be here to provide you with any of your...womanly needs,” he drawled, moving closer as he said it. “And hey, while you’re having your fun, maybe you could let me watch some time,” he suggested with a predatory grin. Bonni shuddered at the thought. She glanced over at Marceline, who was frozen, her face a mask of fear and disgust. Bonni stepped in front of her and glared at Ash.

“Leave us alone, phlegm wad,” she said angrily. Ash moved even closer.

“Or what, sweetie? How’re you gonna shut me up?” he asked, moving his face closer still, so close that Bonni could smell his awful breath. She narrowed her eyes and brought her knee up into his groin as hard as she could. He stared at her with shock and rage on his face, before tears of pain started gathering on his lashes. He brought his hands down to cup his nether regions, and staggered back, the fury in his eyes replaced by fear. He opened his mouth to speak, but only managed a pathetic whimper.

“I see you again, and I’ll do worse,” Bonni threatened. Ash’s face twisted into a snarl.

“You bi-”

Bonni stepped forward and raised her fist, and Ash flinched and ducked away.

“That’s what I thought,” she said dismissively. She hurried back to Marceline, wrapping her arms around her protectively. She was sucking in breaths too rapidly and there was still fear in her eyes. “Let’s get out of here, huh?” she asked softly, running her fingers soothingly through Marceline’s thick, soft hair. Marceline nodded silently and clung to Bonni’s arm like it was her lifeline.

*~*~*

It wasn’t until they were outside that Marceline let the first tears fall. She tried to blink them back to no avail. She hoped that she could avoid the following conversation with Bonni about the encounter, but of course, at the first sniffle Bonni turned around and hugged her tightly, letting her wet the shoulder of her pink hoodie with tears.

She knew what came next. After her shuddering breaths had calmed, she lifted her head from Bonni’s shoulder, but kept her arms wound tightly around her middle. “You want to talk about it?” Bonni asked. She could see that Bonni was doing her best to make it look like she wouldn’t tug her hair out if she didn’t figure out who Ash was. Marceline didn’t want to talk about it, like at all, but she knew it would be unfair if she continued to keep Bonni in the dark. She took another deep breath.

“Can we go back to your place, first?”

*~*~*

She felt a great deal more comfortable sitting on Bonni’s bed in a pair of borrowed pajamas pants emblazoned with little purple hearts and one of Bonnibel’s sweaters, a white one with colorful stripes. She really just craved the comfort of a loved one, and Bonnibel’s clothes were warm and soft. The woman in question sat a foot or so across from her, leaning against the headboard. She was wearing a pair of ratty athletic shorts and Marceline’s rock shirt (again). She would usually tease her about it, but now she only felt happy that there was someone in the world that cared about her enough to wear an article of her clothing so frequently because they loved her. It was soothing, in a way. She took a deep breath.

“Ok, I’ll start at the beginning. I knew Ash as a kid, like since I was six. His dad was my dad’s business partner, so we hung out a lot. He was a sweet kid, if a tad violent. We weren’t anything more than friends through most of grade school, but when we were freshmen in high school and everyone started dating, he asked me to the homecoming dance. I was still in denial about being bisexual at that point, and it kind of freaked me out when I had decidedly inappropriate dreams about girls. So, I pushed all that down and told Ash that I’d love to go to the dance with him. I thought that maybe having a boyfriend would make my attraction to girls go away.” Bonni nodded sympathetically.

“So fast forward a few years, Ash and I have been together since the dance and I’m still freaking out because turns out, sexuality isn’t something you can just turn off. Senior year, Ash started getting possessive. He didn’t let me hang out with Finn or Jake or any of my friends, he was constantly accusing me of cheating on him. He started getting physical, too. On the plus side, I got really good at using concealer.” She chuckled darkly. At this point she knew that if she looked at Bonni, she’d start crying. She looked out the window instead. New York was beautiful at night.

“Remember the first time we had sex, and I told you consent was really important to me?” Bonni gasped.

“Did he-?”

“No, no, I never slept with him. But he was...persistent. Ash isn’t someone that takes no for an answer, if you catch my drift. If it wasn’t for Finn and Jake...I don’t know where I’d be. I had them over to my house one day before Ash was supposed to show up. My dad was away on business at the time. We were just hanging out, you know: playing video games, catching up on gossip and stuff. Ash came over early and, needless to say, he was not pleased that I was hanging out with two boys. He asked me what was with the chumps. At first, Finn and Jake tried to stay out of it because I was constantly telling them that I loved Ash, that he wasn’t as bad as he seemed, that he was really a nice guy. They didn’t believe any of it, I could tell, but they kept their mouths shut because they knew I’d get mad.

“Anyway, he grabbed my arm and shoved me into the kitchen. He told me to make him a sandwich, and that he’d deal with me later. He was walking back to the living room to, I don’t know, make Finn and Jake leave. Probably with his fists. But on his way, he yelled back to me that he’d ‘sold that fucking teddy bear I kept clinging to’. He said he thought that it might help me grow up. I don’t know what he did with the few bucks that he got for it. I don’t really want to know.” Marceline could feel tear tracks on her face.

“I think that was the straw that broke the camel's back. I got that teddy bear from my Uncle Simon for Christmas when I was five or six right after my mom died.” She paused. “His name was Hambo,” she said quietly. She heard Bonni sniffle softly, but she couldn’t bear to look at her.

“So, back to the story. He told me he’d sold Hambo, and I sort of went in to shock for a few seconds. I honestly don’t remember much of what happened next. I remember I kicked him, and that Finn and Jake started hitting him too when he tried to put his hands on me. I remember that they locked him in the bathroom so I could pack my overnight stuff.” She laughed shortly.

“Finn and Jake asked their parents if I could stay with them for the last few weeks of school, and of course they were fine with it. I called my dad to tell him and he was like ‘Fine. Let me know if you change your mind.’” She laughed again.

“He was about as invested in my life as a dead snail. So anyway, I finished up high school at Finn and Jakes’ house. Finn and Jake and I pooled our money to rent an apartment together that summer. Finn knew he wanted to join the police force, Jake went to college to become a writer. I was really too focused on being Ash’s ‘girlfriend’ for the last few years that I didn’t really think much about if I wanted to go to college, that kind of thing. I knew I loved music, though. I met Keila and Bongo and Guy at some hole in the wall concert a few years back. I was working at a Burger King at the time. They were looking for someone who could sing, and Keila heard me humming in the bathroom. She introduced me to Bongo and Guy, and a few years later here we are.” She finished, taking a deep breath and wetting her lips after talking for so long. She wiped her eyes of any residual tears and finally dared to look at Bonnibel.

She hadn’t cried, but her eyes were glassy with unshed tears and a glance at her hands told Marceline that she was wringing them so much that they were slightly pink. She opened her mouth to speak, but closed it, seemingly trying to formulate words. “Marceline, I-I don’t know what to say. I’m so sorry that-” Marceline cut her off by crawling forward and curling up into Bonni’s lap, her head on Bonni’s shoulder.

“Don’t bother with words. It’s enough for you to just...be here, I guess. To know you care,” she murmured, removing Bonni’s hair from it’s ponytail and nuzzling into the scarlet locks. Marceline could feel Bonni’s chest rise, taking a breath to reply, before deciding against it and planting a kiss on the top of Marceline’s head.

“Why didn’t you tell me before?” Bonni asked quietly after a few minutes of lazy cuddling and gentle touches. Marceline sighed guiltily.

“I mean, it never really came up. And it’s painful to relive. Looking back, I feel so stupid for staying with him as long as I did. I think I always knew we’d have to talk about it, I was just...delaying the inevitable, I guess. I should’ve told you sooner,” she muttered. “I’m sorry.” Bonni threaded her fingers through Marceline’s hair soothingly.

“Don’t be sorry, I get it. I mean, I don’t really get it, since I’ve never been in a relationship like that, but I understand your hesitance,” she reassured her. “And hey, I still haven’t told you about my bad breakup,” she added jokingly. Marceline looked up, curious. Her first instinct was to ask why Bonni hasn’t told her the story sooner, but she realized how hypocritical that would be. Bonni seemed to read her mind regardless.

“I’ll tell you about it soon, I don’t want to make this night more depressing than it already is. Remind me later,” she said. Marceline nodded, suddenly exhausted. Turns out, emotional work can be just as tiring as physical. She yawned into Bonnibel’s shoulder. Bonni noticed and went to move Marceline off her, but she whined in protest and tightened her hold. Bonni laughed quietly and stopped trying to get up momentarily.

“I’m just gonna turn the light off, I’ll be right back,” she explained. Marceline groaned weakly in response, and reluctantly loosened her arms. Bonni quickly flicked the light switch and practically jumped back into bed, where she was enthusiastically welcomed back into Marceline’s warm embrace. After such an emotional work out, and lying next to the woman she loved, Marceline was finding it harder and harder to maintain consciousness. Bonni haphazardly threw the blanket that covered her bed over them and let her head rest on the pillow. Marceline tried to keep her eyes open long enough to give Bonni a good-night kiss or something, but it was a losing battle.

“ ‘M tired, Bon. Gonna go t’sleep,” she mumbled.

“Hold on, let me help you out of that sweater,” Bonni offered, reaching for the hem of the aforementioned article.

“Noooooooo,” Marceline whined, clutching her arms to her chest. Bonni sighed.

“Fine, have it your way,” she relented, her mock annoyance betrayed by the hint of a smile. She lay down next to Marcy and let herself be wrapped in warm, welcoming arms. The last things Marceline gathered before she slipped into a peaceful, dreamless sleep were a gentle kiss pressed to her forehead and a whispered ‘I love you’.

*~*~*

Marceline blinked the sleep out of her eyes and immediately noticed the lack of a body next to her. She rolled over, suddenly alert and panicking, when she noticed a note on Bonnibel’s pillow. She picked it up and read it with eyes still partially clouded with sleep.

_Marcy-_

_I had to go into the Kingdom for the afternoon shift today instead of night. Sorry if you panic when you wake up. The good news is that I’ll be home by 8! I won’t be too tired to butter the biscuits, if you know what I’m saying ;). I’ll come over to your place tonight with Thai food, text me if you want something else to eat. Love you to the moon and back! xoxoxoxoxoxoxo_

_-Bonnibel Blum_

Marceline blushed and cringed simultaneously at the line about ‘buttering the biscuits’. I mean, of all the euphemisms! She smiled to herself at the last line and chuckled softly at the way she signed it. First and last name (As though Marceline didn’t know which Bonnibel was writing to her) in swirly letters, the B’s large and graceful next to the rest of her name in small, neat cursive. She sat up to find her clothes from the night before folded neatly at the end of the bed. She smiled again and reluctantly rolled out of bed. If Bonni was gone, that meant that it was after 11, which meant that she should probably head home and let Finn and Jake know that she was alive.

She sent a quick text to Jake and changed out of Bonni’s clothes. She tossed the pants into the laundry basket by the door, but hesitated to do the same with the sweater. She brought it to her face and inhaled the comforting scent. She made fun of Bonni for her attachment to her rock shirt, but here she found herself, sniffing the sweater like it was cocaine. Bonni will understand, Marceline reasoned, slipping the sweater back over her head. She probably won’t even notice it’s gone. After a quick goodbye to Lottie and Lady, she slipped out the door and hailed a taxi back to her apartment.

*~*~*

When she walked into the entryway, she was pleased to hear gentle classical music coming from the kitchen. Vivaldi’s Four Seasons, if her ears weren’t deceiving her. She toed off her boots and walked into the kitchen, already knowing who she’d find.

Jake stayed seated at the small kitchen table they had, rapidly typing on his laptop for a good minute after Marceline had walked in. She was certain he wouldn’t have noticed her for several minutes longer if she hadn’t turned off the CD player he had placed on the counter. He looked up, confused and annoyed, when he finally noticed Marceline. “Oh, hey Marcy! How long have you been standing there?” he asked, cheeks tinged pink with embarrassment.

“An embarrassingly long time,” she replied dryly. She flicked the CD player back on and moved to the freezer, rummaging for some frozen waffles to throw in the toaster.

“Well, how was the show?” he asked. She put two waffles into the toaster and turned around.

“It was great! Did the usual set, sang some new ones too. I, uh, sang that song I told you about? The one for Bonni?” she answered, blushing slightly. Jake waggled his eyebrows.

“You had an enjoyable night then? Can’t imagine you stayed over at Bonnibel’s apartment just talking, if you know what I’m saying,” he said suggestively.

And perhaps it was that she wished that she had had that kind of night with Bonni, or perhaps it was Jakes tone; he had no idea about the events of the night before, and maybe it was just the plain stress and anger and sadness of the past twenty-four hours, but she found she couldn’t stop the great stream of tears flowing down her face, could do nothing to silence the shuddering sobs that now wracked her body. Jake rushed over and put his arms around her instantly.

“Hey, hey, hey! What’s wrong? Did Bonni not come again? If she in any way hurt-” Marceline shook her head, trying to calm herself and put Jake slightly at ease. She wiped her eyes, now red and puffy and sniffled. Jake produced a pocket container of tissues seemingly out of nowhere. She blew her nose.

“A-Ash was at the show,” she said, still hiccuping a bit. Jake gasped. His anger earlier at the thought of Bonnibel hurting her was nothing to the rage he now displayed.

“That fucking tranch! What’d he do, did he touch you? Did he say anything?” he asked furiously.

“He didn’t touch me, but he said a bunch of gross stuff. He said something creepy about how seeing Bonni and I kiss...got him going. He didn’t even try to hide the fact that he was ogling Bonni’s chest. He said he’d like to watch Bonni and I-” she swallowed, unable to say it. “He said that me being bisexual was a phase.” She was crying again, but not as intensely as before. Jake moved in to hug her again, anger still plainly on his face. “Bonni kneed him in the junk,” she added quietly. Jake barked out a short laugh.

“Woah, really?” he asked incredulously. Marceline let out a watery laugh.

“Yeah, she did. And she said that if she saw him again that she’d do worse.” She buried her face in Jake's shoulder. He was a few inches taller than her, which made him a very comforting hugger. “I love her so fucking much, Jake,” she mumbled into his shoulder.

“Yeah, you do. You picked a good one, Marce,” he replied. Marceline extricated herself from Jake’s arms and wiped her eyes again.

“Thanks, Jake,” she said, smiling.

“Yeah, no problem. Maybe I should come to your next concert, Bonni and I could gang up on Ash. I’m sure he’d love that,” he added with a glint in his eye. Marceline laughed.

“If I never see him again, it’ll be too soon. Oh, also: tonight would be a good night to go out with Prismo, I think. Bonni has the afternoon shift today so she won’t be too tired to ‘butter the biscuits’, to quote the note she left me this morning,” she suggested good-naturedly. Jake put his head in his hand.

“Butter the- oh my god, that woman,” he sighed. “Alright, I’ll text Finn.” He took out his phone and started typing. “M...and B...are gonna...bang...like...rabbits..-”

“Don’t say it like that!” Marceline said indignantly, snatching his phone. He laughed.

“Ok fine, I’ll word it differently,” he said apologetically. Marceline reluctantly handed him back his phone and watched over his shoulder as he deleted the text.

“Our...valorous...cater-cousins....Marceline...and Bonnibel...art...going to...has't...amorous...rite-”

“Hey! What does that even mean?” she asked, trying and failing to be angry.

“Look, I studied English in college for four years, I’m allowed to use exaggerated Shakespearean english if’t be true I so chooseth!” he shot back. Marceline struggled to think of a reply, then settled for huffing dramatically.

“Fiiiiiiine,” she said. Jake nodded, satisfied, and went back to typing. After a few seconds, his face lit up at the sound of a reply. He eagerly showed Marceline the screen.

“See? Finn gets it!”

_Finn (12:26): Good now, i shall asketh prismo if 't be true that gent is up f'r bowling_

Marceline rolled her eyes, but smiled. “Ok, ok, point proven,” she relented. Jake smirked cockily and went back to his phone. She could still hear him mutter various Shakespearean phrases under his breath.

“ _Valorous planeth...liketh bowling...lief cousin…_ ” Marceline smiled, gentler this time.

Her friends weren’t so bad, she supposed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 'Our valorous cater-cousins Marceline and Bonnibel art going to has't amorous rite' - Our good friends Marceline and Bonnibel are going to have sex
> 
> 'Good now, i shall asketh Prismo if 't be true that gent is up f'r bowling' - Alright, I will ask Prismo if he is up for bowling
> 
> And Jake was muttering 'Valorous planeth, i liketh bowling with our lief cousin Prismo', which means - Good plan, I like bowling with our dear friend Prismo
> 
> Imagine Marceline wearing her regular gray tank top, red boots, blah blah blah for the first part. Imagine her wearing her outfit from 'Marcy and Hunson' (skull shirt, etc.) for the concert. Bonni wears her outfit from 'Video Makers' for the concert. Anyway, I think that's it, thanks for reading, leave kudos/comments if you liked!


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Marceline and Bonnibel take a big step in their relationship.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey hey hey! Chapter 4! I realized I kinda messed up the timing in this but I (hopefully) fixed it. Chapter one took place in mid-November, two in mid-December, three in early January, and this one mid-January. So. Do with that information what you will. Also, who's pumped for Obsidian? Raise your hand if you are and if people look at you weird tell them you're pumped for Obsidian. If it's the same level of quality as BMO, I'll be happy (I loved BMO. Big fan of the potato song. I feel kinda bad that they're not in this fic) Anyway, enjoy! Leave kudos/comments if you want. I try to reply to every comment! Plus they validate me and make me smile. :)

“Boooonnniiiiiiiii!” When can we leeeeeaaave?” Marceline groaned, her cheek smushed on the bar surface. Bonnibel sighed, answering the question for the millionth time that night.

“Because Kingdom closes at two and it’s one-” here she glanced at the clock on the wall “-thirty nine.” Marceline let out a dramatic fake sob.

“I’ll never survive!” she wailed. She clutched her chest as her eyes widened. “I’m having a heart attack! Quick! I need mouth to mouth!” Bonnibel rolled her eyes.

“This is the third heart attack you’ve had tonight,” she said with mock annoyance before pressing her lips to Marceline’s. She inhaled dramatically and wiped invisible sweat from her forehead.

“That one might’ve been real. You’ll never know will you?” she said with a playful glint in her eye. Bonnibel rolled her eyes again.

“You’re impossible,” she sighed.

“Aw, you love me,” Marceline replied with a cheeky grin. Bonni placed her hands on her hips.

“Against all odds,” she replied dryly.

“She loves me!” Marceline crowed, throwing her arms up and turning to the mostly empty bar. Bonnibel put her head in her hands. Marceline spun back around and smirked with too much teeth showing.

“How could you not? My smoldering sex appeal is undeniable,” she said cockily, flipping her hair and winking in an overly sultry manner. Bonni blushed in spite of herself, then left to clear a table for the small group that had just left. When she returned from putting their glasses in the dishwasher, Marceline reached her arms out towards Bonnibel and whined.

“Where did you go? I missed you!” she complained. Bonnibel returned to her post opposite Marceline and leaned her forearms on the bar surface.

“Well, absence makes the heart grow fonder and all that,” she replied. Marceline hummed in agreement.

Not two minutes later she was asking “When can we leave?”

“Just hang on for fifteen more minutes and then we can go home,” Bonnibel reassured her, before yawning mightily and stretching. And no, Marceline’s eyes did not immediately dart to the strip of smooth skin that was revealed when the purple tank top Bonni was wearing under her unzipped hoodie rode up slightly, thank you for aski-

Wait. Home?

It occurred to her that she didn’t give it a second thought when Bonni referred to her apartment as ‘home’. And why should she? She already spent more time there than she did in the apartment she shared with Finn and Jake. She thought for a moment of what sharing a life with Bonnibel would be like. Waking up with her fluffy pink hair in her face and not having to worry about two other people living in the house and disturbing their lazy morning. But no, of course Bonni would wake up earlier than her. So maybe she would wake up to the smell of burning pancakes or charred eggs instead. The thought made her smile. Sure they’d have to go to work and pay bills and do the usual boring, mundane things that sharing a house required, but they’d be doing it together, just the two of them.

Also, all of her fantasies were overwhelmingly white. Like, white walls, white sheets, white countertop, white everything. Huh. Weird. Maybe it had something to do with soap operas. Although she had no idea why she even thought that, she didn’t enjoy or even watch soap operas. Maybe she should-

“-so I’m gonna close a few minutes early.”

Marceline jumped slightly, shocked back to reality by the realization that her girlfriend was talking. She blushed faintly, embarrassed.

“Sorry, what?”

Bonni didn’t seem to notice Marceline’s embarrassment and repeated her statement.

“I said, everyone’s gone so I’m gonna close a few minutes early,” she said, scrunching her nose to push her glasses up her face, then doing it with her hands seconds later. Marceline smiled.

“Sounds like a plan! Ooh, can I turn off the sign? Pleeeeeeease?” she asked, her hands clasped together. Bonni chuckled.

“Yeah, sure, you don’t need to beg. I don’t care, as long as it’s done,” she replied, moving to turn off the lights. Marceline pumped her fists and ran over to the fluorescent OPEN sign in the window, flipping the small switch from ON to OFF.

Two minutes later they were on the sidewalk outside the bar, deciding whether to hail a taxi or walk back to Bonnibel’s apartment. Marceline was lost in her thoughts, still playing around with the idea of living with Bonnibel. She wanted to, of course. And what was the worst that could happen if she brought it up? Bonni would say she wasn’t ready and they’d go on with life? Certainly nothing worse. Still, her heart felt like it was about to beat out of her chest. She looked over at Bonni, who had apparently made the decision to hail a taxi. She had since zipped up her sweater and donned a comically bulky winter coat. She chuckled.

“What?” Bonni asked, turning around.

“Nothing, your coat is just…” she paused, choosing her words carefully. “Charming.” Bonni crossed her arms.

“Yeah, easy for you to say, you never get cold! You’re like a walrus,” she shot back. Marceline looked down at her plain jeans and her old varsity jacket.

“More like a vampire,” she corrected, flashing her teeth and forming claws with her fingers. Bonni giggled.

“If you’re a vampire, then you’re the most adorable vampire of all time,” she cooed. Marceline crossed her arms.

“No way. I’m punk rock!” she replied, sticking out her tongue. Bonnibel moved her hands to Marceline’s sides.

“How can you be punk rock-” she slid her hands under Marceline’s jacket “-if-” her fingers found their way under her shirt to the skin of her stomach. Marceline’s face warmed and her breath hitched in her throat “-you’re ticklish?” Bonnibel finished, finally moving in and tickling Marceline’s sides and stomach relentlessly. Marceline gasped and tried to speak through her fits of giggles.

“Bo-Bon-B-Bonniiiiiii! St-sto-s-stop!” Bonnibel finally let up and took away her hands. Marceline glared at her.

“That was a low blow,” she complained. Bonni stuck out her bottom lip.

“Aww, how will you ever forgive me?” she asked. Marceline drew Bonnibel in by her hips so their bodies were pressed together.

“Well,” she murmured, moving her lips so they were centimeters from Bonni’s. She could feel Bonnibel standing on her tiptoes ever so slightly to bring their faces even closer. “There is one thing you could do.”

“What’s that?” Bonni asked breathlessly. Marceline slipped her hands under Bonnibel’s shirt and splayed her fingers against her stomach. Bonni gasped at the coldness of Marceline’s hands. She moved her face as close to Bonnibel’s as possible without their lips touching.

“I would love for you to taste…”

“Yeah?”

“My revenge!” she shouted, digging her fingers into Bonnibel’s sides as she shrieked with laughter. After a few seconds of delicious karma, she yielded and brought her hands out from under Bonnibel’s jacket and crossed her arms triumphantly.

Bonni put her hands on her hips indignantly.

“No fair! Your hands are freezing!” she complained.

“Well, revenge is a dish best served cold, as they say,” Marceline retorted.

Bonni opened her mouth, then closed it. She opened it again, looking for something to answer with, then settled for “Hmmph.” Suddenly Marceline saw a taxi rounding the block out of the corner of her eye. She hailed it over and gave the driver Bonnibels address. They spent the entire drive trying to tickle one another with...mixed results. Eventually they were basically just trying to make out while wearing seatbelts. When the driver kicked them out at Bonnibel’s apartment, stifling giggles as they tipped him, Marceline’s thoughts from earlier that night came crashing back. She looked over at Bonni, her cheeks pink from a combination of the cold and their recent activities. A giddy smile graced her features. And it was then that Marceline made a decision.

“Hey, Bonni?” she asked hesitantly.

“Yeah?” Bonnibel replied, somewhat cautiously after hearing Marceline’s tone.

“Earlier...at Kingdom...you called your apartment home,” she began, then cursed herself again when Bonni immediately tensed up. “No, no! I’m not gonna say anything bad. I was just thinking about...how it didn’t feel so...wrong?” It came out as a question, which wasn’t what she planned, but so far so good if Bonnibel’s tentatively relaxed shoulders were anything to go off of.

“And I was thinking...I know you’re applying to a bunch of colleges soon, and neither of us are very lucrative at the moment, but what if we moved in together? Just the two of us? I know we’ve only been together for two months and I know it might be moving kind of fast-” Bonnibel stepped forward and took Marceline’s hands in hers.

“I’m gonna stop you right there,” she cut in. Marceline’s anxiety gave way to full blown fear. Was she moving too fast? Was Bonni about to break up with her? “I would LOVE to move in together.”

And just like that, fear gave way to giddy euphoria. She blinked. “Really?”

Bonni slowly grinned. “Yeah. I think we should definitely do that. And do you wanna know why?”

“Why?”

“I love you, that’s why. And I want to wake up next to you every morning and leave you ridiculous notes because I’m obviously going to wake up earlier than you. And I want to curl up on the couch with you and watch the Princess Bride and I want to go buy furniture from IKEA with you and I want to come home from Kingdom and collapse in bed with you and I want to pick up your dirty laundry off the floor because you can’t tidy up to save your life. I just...I love you. I love you I love you I love you. I want to start looking for apartments first thing tomorrow morning.”

“First thing?” Marceline asked incredulously. Bonni nodded seriously.

“First thing,” she repeated. Marceline chuckled and nodded.

“Ok. First thing tomorrow morning.”

*~*~*

“Ooh! Look at the Ingatorp! Can we get it?” Marceline shouted, asking to buy some random piece of furniture for the umpteenth time. Bonnibel sighed exasperatedly.

“Marceline, have you been in an IKEA before?” she asked. Marceline smiled sheepishly.

“I mean...when I was like six? Does that count?” Bonnibel shook her head, but her expression had notably softened.

“Ok, that’s understandable. But you have to understand, that is a three hundred fifty dollar table and we’re already getting the Ingo. Now we’re looking for plates while we’re waiting for Finn and Jake to come back with that rug you saw on the website.” Marceline’s eyes lit up.

“Ooh! The Hemmahos,” she said dreamily. Bonnibel put her head in her hands.

“I can’t believe we’re getting that rug,” she mumbled.

“What’s wrong with the Hemmahos? It has a hopscotch course on it!” she replied indignantly. Bonni chuckled and pecked Marceline on the cheek.

“Nothing, it’s a great rug.” Marceline studied her face for a few seconds, then, seemingly satisfied, smiled and nodded. They walked a bit more down the dinnerware aisle before Marceline pointed at a set excitedly.

“Ooh, can we get the Färgrik?” she asked. Bonnibel eyed the plates and bowls and took out her phone.

“Well, lets see,” she replied. “Haven’t added up the cost of this stuff since we decided on the Malm.” She tapped some numbers into her calculator. When the total popped up she paled. “Oh.”

“What? What’s ‘Oh’?” Marceline asked anxiously. Bonni turned her phone towards Marceline, who let out a small ‘oh’ herself. The small screen displayed a small 727. Over a hundred dollars over their budget. Bonnibel immediately took out their shopping list.

“We can just get the Flitighet instead of the Färgrik. And we could get the Balkarp instead of the Klippan...no, still too much. We could get the Songesand instead of the Malma...do we really need a bed? We could just move one of ours,” Bonnibel asked anxiously. Marceline shook her head.

“I mean, we could make do if we really needed to. But your bed is barely bigger than a twin,” she replied reluctantly.

“Well neither is yours!” she shot back.

“Exactly!”

Bonnibel clicked and unclicked her pen while she thought furiously of a solution. Marceline rested her hand over Bonnibel’s.

“Hey. We’ll figure it out. I don’t mind sleeping in a full size bed for a few months,” she said (hopefully) reassuringly. Bonni smiled gratefully. She tucked her head into the crook of Marceline’s shoulders and wrapped her arms around her waist.

“I don’t deserve you,” she mumbled. Marceline chuckled.

“Pretty sure it’s the other way around, Bon-Bon.” She lifted Bonni’s chin with her index finger so she could meet her eyes. “Hey. We’ll be ok.” Bonni nodded and tucked her head back into the crook of Marceline’s shoulder. It was amazing how well they fit together, Marceline a few inches taller than Bonnibel, making her incredibly huggable. It was as if they were puzzle pieces in some cosmic...thing. Metaphors are hard.

Just then Finn and Jake came around the corner, Finn bouncing along ahead of Jake, who had a rolled up rug in his arms.

“Here’s your hopscotch rug you weirdos-oh what’s up?” Jake asked when he saw their position.

Bonnibel replied with “Nothing” at the same time Marceline said “We’re over a hundred dollars over our budget.” Marceline gave Bonnibel a look that said ‘Seriously?’ Bonnibel nodded apologetically.

Finn and Jake looked at each other over the rug.

“Well,” Finn said. “We kinda thought that this might happen, so…”

“We’ll pay for your sofa. Only your sofa!” Jake finished. Marceline blinked.

“...really?” she asked incredulously. Jake nodded seriously.

“Really.”

“You guys really don’t-” Marceline started to say, before Jake rolled his eyes and put his hands on her shoulders.

“If you finish that sentence the offer is off the table,” he said solemnly. Marceline bit her lip in thought. How do you accept maybe one of the nicest things someone has ever done for you? She settled for a bear hug. Actions speak louder than words, right?.

“Thank you, Jake,” she said. Finn put his hands on his hips indignantly.

“Hey, I’m helping, too!” Jake rolled his eyes.

“Alright, fine. You can get in here. Bonnibel, you too,” he said sternly, as if Bonni would try to decline. Which, on second thought, was completely plausible. Probable, even.

After a few minutes of group hugging, Jake cleared his throat.

“I love you guys, but we should probably keep shopping, right?” he asked awkwardly. Marceline wiped her eyes and nodded, smiling widely.

*~*~*

A few hours and several hard to pronounce furniture names later, they were in Jake’s car on route to Bonnibel and Marceline’s new apartment. It wasn’t much, just a...well, an apartment. It was only two blocks away from the Kingdom, which was a plus. Finn and Jake’s apartment wasn’t too far away either. It had a balcony, which was the deciding factor when they were debating between this place and one that was slightly cheaper. Marceline stepped in first and at once realized how empty it was. But in a good way, like a heart waiting to be filled. With IKEA furniture.

She put the key in her pocket, since they didn’t have a hook or anything yet. Bonni followed close behind her and wrapped an arm around her waist.

“So...this is our apartment, I guess,” Bonni said awkwardly. Marceline chuckled.

“Yeah. This is our apartment now.” She paused. “But it could never be my home.” Bonni looked at her, eyebrows drawn in confusion.

“Wanna know why?” Marceline asked. Bonni nodded. Marceline bumped her nose against Bonni’s.

“Because you’re my home,” she said, pressing a kiss to Bonni’s mouth that couldn’t really be called a kiss because they were both smiling too widely.

“God, you’re too sappy for your own good,” Bonni said breathlessly before claiming Marceline’s lips again. “Don’t scare me like that though, I thought you didn’t like the place or something.”

“Sorry,” Marceline said between kisses. “I couldn’t resist.” She tugged Bonnibel closer and ran her hands up and down her sides, hips, and torso. God, how could such a perfect woman exist?

“Ugh, get a room, you creeps,” Finn said, entering the foyer with a small box containing a deconstructed cabinet and shielding his eyes exaggeratedly.. Marceline smirked at him.

“You get a room,” she replied snarkily. Finn threw his hands in the air.

“Wow. Two hundred fifty dollar couch and this is the thanks I get,” he said exasperatedly. His amused smile gave away his true feelings. Bonnibel laughed and tugged Marceline towards the door.

“Hmmph. Carrying heavy things is hard,” she pouted.

“Well, lifting heavy things gives you muscles. Don’t you want muscles for your girlfriend?” she asked sweetly. Marceline gasped indignantly.

“I have muscles! Being a rock star is harder than it looks,” she shot back cockily, flexing her toned biceps. She paused. “Also I don’t think that’s how muscles work.”

“I don’t know, pretty sure that’s how muscles work. And you wish you were a rock star,” Bonnibel replied. Marceline scoffed.

“I _am_ a rock star.”

“You’re _my_ rock star,” Bonnibel said sweetly, batting her eyelashes.

Marceline blushed and looked away, fighting to keep a small smile off her face. _I refuse to be swayed by something that sappy_. “Ok, you win. Even though I’m already outside.” Bonni nodded, satisfied. Until Marceline attempted to drag out a box as big as her, when she rushed over to steady it before she crushed herself.

“Ok, show off, I didn’t mean lift a bed twice your own weight!” Jake laughed loudly on his way inside, carrying a few smaller boxes.

“Yeah, that’s about par for the course,” he called, over his shoulder. Marceline stuck her tongue out at his back. “Aaand I’m about ninety-nine percent sure she just stuck her tongue out at me,” he added without turning around. Marceline started.

“Get out of my head!” she shouted back to a still laughing Jake. She turned back to a smirking Bonnibel. “Don’t you start,” she muttered.

*~*~*

Hours later, IKEA furniture assembled and pizza devoured, Bonni sat with her head on Marceline’s shoulder on their brand new sofa. Finn and Jake were leaned against opposite arms of the sofa on the floor, fixated on the movie playing on her laptop. It was some old action movie that Marceline seemed to be quite engrossed in.

Bonni wasn’t the biggest fan of action movies, but she was a big fan of laying against Marceline for a prolonged period of time and twirling her hair on her fingers. However, after an emotionally and physically taxing day, she was now struggling to stay awake. She didn’t quite know why she was fighting against sleep, only that it might be considered rude to fall asleep with guests in your house.

But with her cheek against Marceline’s long, soft hair and her body tucked into the little pocket of warmth created by Marceline’s arm around her shoulder, she found it increasingly difficult to keep her eyes open. Her blinks grew longer and longer until she finally admitted to herself that her battle against sleep was one she was quickly losing.

She found that she didn’t quite care if she was being rude, Marceline would surely kick Finn and Jake out when she felt it appropriate. She tried to say “I’m just gonna close my eyes for a bit”, but by then she was already asleep.

*~*~*

Marceline was, in fact, quite engrossed in the movie. So engrossed that she didn’t notice that there was an unconscious body literally lying on her until she turned to Bonni to ask if she just saw a man get stabbed by a robot on the screen. When she noticed the faint flutter of her eyelashes and her long, even breaths, she almost cried tears of joy. _How can such an adorable creature exist?_ After what felt like hours but must’ve been mere minutes of staring at Bonnibel’s sleeping form, she nudged Jake with her foot. He turned to look up and noticed Bonni.

“Awww!” he whispered. Marceline nodded appreciatively.

“I think I’m gonna turn in,” she whispered back. Jake nodded and stood up, stretching.

“Hey, Finn. Time to go, Bonni fell asleep,” he whispered. Finn looked up at Jake, then at the movie, wistfully.

“Yeah, ok,” he agreed, standing up reluctantly. Jake rolled his eyes.

“Dude, you’ve seen this movie like a million times, you’ll live.”

Finn shook himself. “Yeah. Sorry, I’m good.” He and Jake walked to the foyer and started putting on their shoes and jackets.

“I’d walk you out, but I really don’t want to get up right now,” Marceline said apologetically. Jake nodded his understanding.

“Don’t worry about it. Just don’t fall asleep on the couch, it’s not worth the cramps,” he advised. Marceline nodded.

“Drive safe!” she called as they walked out the door.

“Will do. See you soon,” he replied as he and Finn closed the door behind them.

Marceline checked the time on her phone. 8:48. Early, to be sure, but she was crazy tired. She looked back at Bonnibel and couldn’t stop the smile spreading across her face. When she snored softly, Marceline was sure a little part of her died and went to heaven. She was tempted to just lay her head down and go to sleep right there, but she knew Jake was right. It wasn’t worth the cramps.

She gently extracted herself from Bonnibel’s arms and nearly cried when Bonni’s brow creased and she reached out in her sleep. As quickly as she could, she reached down and scooped Bonnibel into her arms in a bridal carry. She was almost to their bedroom when Bonni cracked her eyes open. Marceline could tell she was only half awake.

“...hey...you’re pickin’ me up…” she rasped, her voice heavy with sleep. Marceline smirked as she nudged the door to their room open with her hip.

“Told you I had rock star muscles,” she said cockily. Bonni smiled.

“...Mmm...like your muscles…” she mumbled, pressing a sleepy kiss to Marceline’s bicep. Her face warmed at the feeling of warm lips against her skin. She set Bonnibel down on the bed and reached for her waist.

“I’m gonna take your jeans off; you don’t want to sleep in them,” she explained. Bonni nodded and hummed her consent. By the time Marceline got them off, she was snoring softly once again. Marceline kicked off her own pants and climbed into bed. She threw the blankets over them both and curled her body around Bonnibel protectively. She tucked her face into the crook of Bonni’s shoulder and was asleep before she knew it.

*~*~*

Marceline woke up in an empty bed. This was not alarming in the slightest, nor was it anything new. She knew that Bonnibel got up early and usually left either a note or a string of texts. She rolled over to Bonni’s side of the bed to try and soak up any extra body heat left on the bed and felt paper against her cheek. She half sat up to pick up the neatly written note that she had rolled her head onto. Still attempting to blink the sleep out of her eyes, she read:

_Marcy-_

_Good morning, sunshine! I was gonna wait in here for you to wake up but that would’ve been crazy boring and a waste of time so-enjoy these indirect wake up kisses! xxxxxxxxxx Maybe if you ever get out of bed you can get some real ones ;). Love you forever!_

_-Bonnibel Blum_

_P.S. Do you know where my striped sweater with the primary colors on it is? I can’t find it anywhere_

Marceline smiled at the indirect kisses. She had half a mind to put the note to her cheek or lips, but that would’ve been super weird. She winced guiltily at the P.S. She should probably tell Bonnibel that she had poached her sweater a good three weeks ago. She threw off the blanket and swung her legs off the bed. She stretched and stood up, fishing an outfit out of the box haphazardly filled with her clothes. She’d put them in the dresser later.

She walked into the kitchen to find Bonnibel standing in front of the stove, lifting a pancake off of their only frying pan with their only spatula. _More shopping soon, I guess_ she thought. Sigh. She quietly padded across the kitchen floor until she was directly behind Bonnibel. She waited until she put down the spatula to lean into her ear and whisper, “Good morning.”

Bonnibel started and whirled around. If she had been holding the spatula, she definitely would’ve dropped it. _Safety first,_ Marceline thought proudly. Bonnibel put a finger on Marceline’s nose and pushed gently.

“You’re mean,” she said simply. Marceline stuck out her bottom lip.

“Aw, you don’t mean that,” she replied playfully. Bonni crossed her arms.

“...Yeah, yeah. You’re lucky you’re cute,” she groused. Marceline laughed and kissed Bonnibel’s nose.

“I know. And you might wanna pay attention to the stove,” she advised, gesturing to the pan. Bonnibel spun around and turned the heat way down preemptively. She lifted one pancake and scrutinized the bottom. A little darker than she’d like, but not unsalvageable. She flipped them all and turned the heat back up, albeit lower than before. She turned back to Marceline, who was putting two plates and some silverware on the table.

“Stop being so distracting,” she scolded. Marceline laughed.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” she replied. She then smiled suggestively and winked, biting her bottom lip slightly. Bonnibel’s face heated and she froze for a few seconds before seemingly snapping out of it and realizing what just happened.

“...I hate you,” she grumbled, turning back to the pancakes. Marceline just laughed.

A few minutes later, Marceline sat with a plate of pancakes in front of her, prepared to pretend they were delicious. She wanted to say she had high hopes, but Bonnibel’s culinary repertoire spoke for itself. She knew Bonnibel wouldn’t be satisfied until she tasted them, so she poured a hefty amount of maple syrup on her plate and took a bite.

And wow, was she wrong. Bonnibel must’ve sold her soul to the ghost of Julia Childs or something because Marceline was certain that these were the best pancakes she had ever eaten. Bonni must have sensed her shock because she laughed.

“I know, shocking right? I’ve made something that tastes good?” she said. Marceline winced.

“Well I wouldn’t say it quite like that...but yeah, how did you do this?” she asked incredulously.

“Well, I had a fair amount of help from Jake, and I practiced a LOT,” she replied. Marceline stared at Bonni, dumbfounded, before she got up and sat on Bonnibel’s lap, facing her.

“I love you so much,” she murmured, brushing her lips against Bonnibel’s. She could taste maple syrup. Bonnibel smirked when she pulled away.

“Are you talking to me or the pancakes?” she asked. Marceline rolled her eyes and kissed her again.

“Shut up and give me my good morning kisses,” she growled, draping her arms around Bonnibel’s neck while Bonni’s hands found their way to her hips.

Sadly, the pancakes sat forgotten on the table, but it was okay. They could always microwave them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've been describing outfits at the end notes in every chapter, but I'm gonna stop 'cause it's a hassle. I'll try to describe what they're wearing in the fic and if I do a bad job you can fill in the blanks with your imagination. They're wearing whatever you want them to be wearing.  
> ...that sounded weird. You know what I mean. I've also decided that this is gonna be six chapters max so. The end is nigh! Have a great rest of your day, stay safe!


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Bonnibel asks a big question.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here it is! The finale! This one was hard to write, because I wanted to make sure it was a suitable conclusion, and I think it's pretty ok. Anyway, enjoy the last chapter.

Bonnibel checked the time on her phone as she left the lab. _5:03_. She had plenty of time. She waved good-bye to her coworker, Sarah Doctor (who, yes, was often ribbed for her name being Dr. Doctor) and nearly collapsed in the driver seat of her car. At the end of the day she was always grateful for the flexible dress code in the lab: as long as she wore close-toed shoes and a lab coat, (plus goggles and gloves and all that) she could pretty much wear whatever she wanted. Now, she was grateful she could drive comfortably in a pair of jeans and a purple pullover. 

She and Marceline knew they’d need a car eventually, what with Bonnibel having to get to and from the lab she now worked at most days of the week, but until Marceline got signed with Nightosphere Records, they didn’t have the money. Now, not only did they have money to buy a car, but with Marceline’s new single ‘Monster’ at number 11 in the U.S. charts, they had enough money to buy a single family home in the suburbs of New York City.

She turned the key in the ignition, and, speak of the devil, she heard the melodious chords of the chorus to Marceline’s latest song pouring from the speakers, way too loud. She winced and turned the volume down, wondering why it was so high.

Then she remembered that Marceline went to go pick up a jar of tomato sauce the night before when they ran out, and she knew how loud she liked her music. She smiled to herself and backed out of the parking lot, en route to her first stop before she drove home.

She went to change the music, then hesitated. It wasn’t that she didn’t like listening to Marceline’s music, because it was beautiful and there wasn’t a song her girlfriend wrote that she didn’t love. She just had conflicting feelings about the more...romantic songs. The ones aimed more towards her.

Her face heated when she even thought of Marceline plucking on her bass, or ukelele, or fingering the keys on her keyboard and thinking of her, and that was part of her problem. She was so happy that Marceline was making a name for herself in the music industry, but a smaller, more selfish part of her was a tiny bit jealous. That everyone who had access to a radio could listen to a song that Marceline had written specifically for her. That those chords and melodies tailored to Bonnibel were available to the public at the click of a button. 

She knew that Marceline’s music was amazing, and that people of course should be able to experience it, but she couldn’t help that small, nagging part of her. Of course, it helped that Marceline would sometimes sing her songs softly to her whenever she was exhausted after a long day or had trouble sleeping. No one else in the whole world got that treatment. She couldn’t help but feel slightly smug about it.

Her phone buzzed in her pocket. She knew it was probably Marceline, but she was only about a minute away from her destination. She’d wait until she wasn’t driving.

Shortly thereafter, when Bonnibel pulled up beside her first stop, she took out her phone and looked at the message that she had received.

  
_Marceline (5:11): When are you gonna be hooooooome? I miss you, hate you have to work late this week :(_

She glanced at the awning of the store in front of her that read _Cransford’s Choice Jewelry and Things_. She turned her attention back to her phone. It pinged again.

  
_Marceline (5:13): And I love you, obviously <3_

She felt guilty deceiving Marceline for the past week, but she hoped that what she had planned for tonight made up for it.

  
_Bonnibel (5:14): Love you too, be home in an hour or so. Miss you too!_

  
_Bonnibel (5:14): Mind if I pick up Bertucci’s on the way home?_

  
_Marceline (5:15): YESSSSSSS I LOVE YOU Bertuccis is my shit_

  
_Marceline (5:15): Plus now I dont have to worry about dinner, win win_

  
_Bonnibel (5:15): ;) Love you love you._

She pocketed her phone, a smile lingering on her face, and walked into the jewelry store. The reedy blonde man at the counter looked up when he heard the bell above the door jingle.

“Ah, Bonnibel! Here to pick up your ring?” he asked. Bonnibel smiled and walked up to the counter.

“You guessed it, Cransford,” she replied. The man nodded diligently.

“Splendid!” He slid open the glass case full of bright, shining jewelry and pulled out a thin silver ring with a small, red gem set in the center. He held it gingerly, as if it would break at any sudden movement, and placed it in a small, red velvet box. He closed it and set it on the counter.

“Do I need to fill out any other paperwork?” she asked. He smiled and shook his head.

“Nope! First payment is due at the end of the month, and that’s about it,” he replied. She silently thanked herself for having the foresight to fill out all the financial paperwork a few days earlier. She didn’t think she could handle it if she had to sign her name on a bunch of dotted lines when she had so much nervousness and excitement bubbling up within her. She picked up the box and put it in her pocket. 

She thanked Cransford and walked back out to the car. Once she was sitting in the driver’s seat, she took the box out of her pocket and opened it. 

The ring was definitely on the smaller side. The band was comprised of two woven strands of silver that met to cradle a small red gem in the center. She knew that Marceline wouldn’t want a giant shiny ring on her finger for the next several months, so she picked the smallest one she could find that had a red gem in it. Not that she could afford anything much bigger. She hoped Marceline would like it. 

After closing the box and slipping it back into her pocket, she started the engine and began driving to her next destination. On the way to Marceline’s bandmate Keila’s house, she began to doubt herself. What if the ring didn’t fit? But that was ridiculous, she had Marceline’s size literally written down (she couldn’t believe her luck when Marceline just _had_ to have a mood ring she saw online while ordering a new set of guitar picks). Still, she couldn’t completely erase the doubt from her mind. 

So, she decided to focus on the task that lay ahead of her: trying to play guitar.

*~*~*

When Keila opened the door to her house to let her in, she greeted Bonni with the same line she used literally every time Bonnibel rang the doorbell.

“What’s up doc?”

She even did the voice.

Bonnibel rolled her eyes. “Never heard that one before,” she said dryly. Keile snickered and stepped aside to let her in. Keila gestured for Bonnibel to follow her into the kitchen.

“I’m gonna make some tea before we get started, want some?” she asked, opening a cabinet above the microwave to reveal around a dozen boxes of assorted tea bags. 

Bonnibel hesitated, then said, “Yes.” Maybe it would help with nerves. “Chamomile, if you have it.” Keila nodded and took out two boxes, then closed the cabinet.

“So...tonight’s the night, huh?” Keila asked conversationally as she filled a kettle with water and set it on the stove. She then hoisted herself up to sit on the counter. Bonnibel took a deep breath, nodded. “Can I see the ring?”

“Yeah, sure,” she said. She took the small box out of her pocket and handed it to Keila gingerly. The shorter woman took it with equal care and opened it.

“Oh, Bonnibel! This is beautiful!” she exclaimed. Bonni smiled nervously.

“You think she’ll like it?” she asked. Keila nodded enthusiastically.

“Yeah, dude, she’ll freaking love that. It’s not too big, the gem is all red. What’s not to like?” 

She handed Bonnibel back the box, who put it in her pocket once again. “And I’m gonna be real with you, if you proposed to her with a loop of twine she’d say yes.” She chuckled. “I don’t blame you for being nervous, but I feel the need to tell you that she’s not gonna let you finish your sentence before screaming yes.” Bonnibel smiled gratefully.

“Thanks, Keila,” she said. Keila nodded and winked.

“That’s what I’m here for,” she replied with a grin. A sharp whistle sounded from beside her, and Keila hopped down from the counter to turn off the stove. She poured the water into two mugs and handed one to Bonnibel. “Well, let’s get started then,” she said, gesturing for Bonnibel to follow her into her studio/music room. Bonnibel didn’t quite know what to call it, only that it housed seemingly every instrument in existence.

Even after several visits, the sheer volume of _stuff_ that occupied the room was a sight to behold. There were several speakers, a mixing console (or was it a soundboard? She could never remember), a keyboard, at least 5 different guitars on the wall, a bass, a ukulele, a banjo, what looked like some sort of mini harp, and countless other instruments Bonnibel couldn’t name. She sat down in one of two empty chairs; Keila sat in the other. She handed Bonni an acoustic guitar with nylon strings (she said they would be easier on her fingers) and a pick.

“Ok, we’re all set on the chord progression, correct?” she asked. Bonnibel nodded affirmation. “Ok, anything you’re struggling with specifically?” Bonni thought for a moment. She didn’t practice often, because she didn’t want Marceline to hear, but whenever Marceline went out to practice songs with the band or had to go run a quick errand, Bonni took down her girlfriend’s acoustic guitar and ran through the progression for as long as she could.

“Well, I’m sort of having a hard time switching from F# to G, but other than that not really.” Keila smiled.

“Great! So let’s work on that for a bit, and then see if we can touch up the lyrics.”

And so went the next half hour, Keila helping her with little bits that Bonnibel struggled with and Bonnibel, slowly but surely, gaining confidence in her musical abilities. She wouldn’t be going pro anytime soon, and she doubted she would ever even pick up a guitar again anytime soon, but for now she was getting better. She even enjoyed it in a strange kind of way. Maybe it was the thrill of doing something so far out of her areas of expertise, or maybe she enjoyed the idea of Marceline listening to her song, but either way, she couldn’t wait to get home.

*~*~*

When she opened the door with a hot bag full of italian takeout, she was greeted with the sound of rock music cranked way too loud. Marceline was apparently in their bedroom; the living room was empty.

“Hello!” she shouted into the house. She heard a muffled thump, and then the music was turned down to a much more reasonable volume. Marceline scrambled out of their bedroom wearing sweatpants and Bonnibel’s striped sweater. She had her reading glasses on (black rectangular frames that Marceline insisted she hated, despite Bonni’s insistence that they were adorable) and she was holding what looked like an extremely thick script for a middle school play. 

“Hey!” was the only warning Bonnibel got before Marceline launched herself at her. She just had time to set down the bag before she had an armful of human and a shit-eating grin in front of her face. Marceline pecked her on the lips and stuck out her bottom lip. “I missed you,” she pouted. Bonnibel rolled her eyes. 

“Yeah, yeah...I missed you too.” She grinned and pulled Marceline in for a deeper kiss, her hands still occupied holding up Marceline’s thighs. She would’ve kept kissing Marceline forever if she had stronger arms. Marceline definitely wasn’t very heavy, but still. Her biceps were starting to burn. “Marcy...I need to put you down,” she grunted. Marceline pulled away and pouted again (Bonnibel had to fight the urge to kiss it off her face. They had dinner, for god’s sake!) and climbed off of Bonni.

“So what did you science up today?” she asked while carrying the bag of food to the table. She took off her glasses and set them on the table as well. Bonnibel kicked off her shoes in the foyer and followed Marceline.

“Not much, I just picked up on my research about protease enzymes in TAM cells from yesterday,” she answered. Marceline nodded as if those words meant anything to her.

“Sounds sciency,” she replied. “Oh! Chicken parm!” she cried gleefully as she opened the styrofoam container. Bonnibel nodded and smiled.

“I know what my Marcy likes,” she boasted. Marceline grinned and winked.

“Yeah you do,” she replied sultrily. Bonni’s face flushed.

“Oh hush, you,” she shot back weakly. Marceline cackled.

Bonni gestured to the manuscript Marceline had set on the table as she opened her container of tortellini alfredo.

“What’s that you’re reading?” she asked.

Marceline picked up the stack of bound papers and handed it to her. “See for yourself,” she answered, because she wanted Bonni to be surprised, not because time spent explaining the manuscript was time that could be spent eating.

Bonni scanned the cover. The words ‘Adventure Time’ were printed on the cover in big letters, and when she read who the author was, she looked at Marceline with an expression of delight.

“Jake wrote this?” she asked excitedly. Marceline nodded, smiling.

“Yeah, it’s mostly about these two brothers that go on adventures and stuff. And like, he changed the names, but it’s pretty clear that it’s about him and Finn. But there’s also some romance in there, some action, some, like, philosophical shit? It gets _wild_. I’m almost done, it’s really good,” she chattered. “Oh! And I’m pretty sure our characters are gonna make out in one of the later books.” Bonnibel raised a questioning eyebrow.

“There are gonna be more? And we’re in this?” she asked. Marceline nodded enthusiastically.

“Yeah he said that he’s been planning this series, like, basically since he decided to become a writer. And you’re this character Princess Bubblegum who’s made out of gum, and she’s the most powerful ruler in Ooo but she’s also a mad scientist and like, a little psychopathic? But in a cool way,” she explained. “And it’s implied that she’s immortal. Like I said, I’m not done yet, but I think she’s gonna get some backstory later.” Bonni nodded, a small smile on her face. The most powerful ruler in the world, _and_ a mad scientist? She could live with that.

“And you?” she asked. Marceline’s eyes lit up.

“Oh yeah! I’m this totally badass Vampire Queen that plays bass and her dad is the king of the Nightosphere, which is basically hell, and she’s _actually_ immortal, and it’s implied that she and Bubblegum go _way_ back. Like, there’s this chapter where she sings this song that’s a pretty heavy handed breakup song, and it’s kind of glossed over but Bubblegum is like really upset. Like, it’s clear that they still have feelings for each other. And they’re mean to each other, but like, in a horny way? But like, a PG horny way. And-”

“Woah, slow down. Breathe. I wanna hear about this, but I don’t want to drive you to the hospital because you choked on chicken parm,” Bonni interrupted. Marceline shrugged sheepishly.

“Sorry. I guess I’m just really into this story,” she said. Bonnibel nodded.

“No kidding,” she drawled. Marceline shrugged again.

“But anyway, I’m excited to see their relationship evolve, ‘cause if they don’t hook up by the end of the series, I shall be _very_ put out.”

Bonnibel hummed. “Yeah, that’d be pretty cool. Maybe I should read it when you’re done,” she replied. Marceline nodded vigorously.

“Yeah, then I can talk to you about it! Oh, and Jake said that as long as he approves them I can write songs for the Vampire Queen! And, like, I’ve been thinking about it…”

Bonni wasn’t listening any more. Her anxiety about her song that had generally receded as she witnessed her girlfriend’s jubilant mood abruptly crashed back over her in a tidal wave of nervousness. How could her songwriting skills compare to Marceline’s, who literally did it for a living? What if she totally messed up the chords? She always had trouble remembering if she should switch to a D or a B flat after the verse. And what if Marceline noticed that she didn’t play the full B flat barre chord because it always sounded pathetic when she tried? She knew Marceline wouldn’t laugh at her about those things, or even point them out, but Bonni would be able to see on her face if she noticed. 

She took a deep breath to calm her nerves. All she had to do was wait for the right opportunity, and then at least it would be over with. She tried to tune back in to what Marceline was saying about Jake’s book.

All she had to do was wait.

  
  


*~*~*

  
  


Said opportunity presented itself just as Bonnibel finished putting the few dishes that were in the sink in the dishwasher (another perk of eating takeout: fewer dirty dishes). Marceline sat on the couch reading Jake’s book, but put it down and got up at the sound of the water shutting off. 

“What took you so long?” she teased, wrapping her arms loosely around Bonni’s neck. Bonnibel raised an eyebrow.

“A thank you would be good. I don’t see you volunteering to do the dishes,” she replied. Marceline pecked Bonni’s nose.

“Of course, thank you,” she said with much more sincerity. “How could I ever repay you?” Bonnibel swallowed nervously.

“Well, actually...there is something I’ve been meaning to ask you.”

Marceline looked at her questioningly. “What is it?” she asked, her jovial demeanor replaced with a more serious one.

“Well...before I ask, I have to show you something first,” Bonni hesitated. “Will you give me a second?” Marceline nodded slowly, at this point a little freaked out.

“Sure. You ok?” she asked, a bit worriedly. Bonnibel shot her a smile she hoped was reassuring.

“Yeah. The thing I have to ask...it’s a good thing. I hope,” she added. Marceline nodded and went to sit back on the couch.

“Ok. I’ll just...wait here then,” she said. Bonni nodded, shooting her another smile.

“I promise it’s a good thing!” she restated as she climbed up the stairs two at a time to get to Marceline’s studio. She gingerly took her acoustic guitar from its stand and grabbed one of the many picks that were scattered across the various surfaces in the room. She patted her pocket. Ring? Check. Self-confidence? ...Results inconclusive. She went back down the stairs, much more gently this time, and returned to the living room.

Marceline took her fingernail that she was chewing on out of her mouth when Bonni reentered the room and looked at her with even more confusion than before.

“Why do you have my guitar?” she asked. Bonnibel dragged a kitchen chair across the room and situated it in front of the couch, so she faced Marceline. She sat down and took a deep breath.

“I have to admit...I haven’t been completely honest with you for the last week or so.”

Marceline said nothing, but looked at her warily.

“I haven’t really been working late. Instead, I’ve been working on...this.” She gestured to the guitar that she held in her hands. Marceline’s expression went from wary to relieved. Bonni winced internally. Yeah…’I haven’t been completely honest with you’ probably wasn’t what she should’ve led with.

“So, uh, without further ado...this is a song I wrote for you,” she announced shakily. Her hands trembled so much that she worried that she wouldn’t be able to even strum the instrument, let alone form chords. But she could hardly back down now. She glanced up at Marceline, who now leaned forward curiously. She took another deep breath and strummed an A chord.

_Come along with me…_

As she played the cheerful, yet melancholy chords, she couldn’t focus on anything other than the fretboard her fingers currently danced across. She knew that if she looked at Marceline for even a moment, she’d mess up and ruin the whole song. So instead, she focused on the music pouring from the instrument in her hands and the lyrics that bubbled in her chest, longing to escape her lips. She set them free, singing about all the beautiful places she built inside her head, hoping that the words could convey even a fraction of what she felt for the woman in front of her. She could feel herself shaking as she performed, and willed herself not to let her sheer terror at baring her soul like this ruin the music. 

As the song drew to a close, and as the last chord rang out in the air around them, she set down the guitar and got on one knee before she could think about how terrified she was. She pulled out the small velvet box from her pocket and opened it to show Marceline. She finally allowed herself to look up into the dark haired woman’s face. Her cheeks were streaked with tears and an expression of shock was painted across her face. _Please let it be shock at how amazing the song was,_ Bonni prayed. She forced herself to maintain eye contact as she spoke.

“I can’t tell you how scared I was to do this, so I’ll keep it short for both of our sakes. I wanted this to be such a wonderful moment, where I spout something about how beautiful you are and how lucky I am, but I’m not gonna do any of that. You _are_ beautiful, and I _am_ lucky, but I’m gonna keep this as simple as possible. You make me feel all fuzzy and warm in my chest every time you even come close to me, and it’s naïve of me to take that for granted. I know people change, and love does, too. And when that happens, I want to face it head on, holding your metaphorical hand. So...I’m just gonna say it.

“Marceline, will you marry me?”

Marceline’s bottom lip trembled and her eyes welled with tears again.

She swooped down onto the floor and kissed Bonni desperately, as if it was the last one they would ever share.

“Yes,” she mumbled against Bonni’s lips. Bonni smiled then, so widely that instead of kissing, they were just giggling and pressing their foreheads together. Bonni took Marceline’s right ring finger and slipped the silver band on it, then tossed the box somewhere behind her.

“Really?” she asked, more to hear Marceline’s answer again than anything else. Marceline nodded in affirmation.

“I want to marry you, Bonni,” she whispered. “That was such a beautiful song, and I know that life is messed up, and I know that it’s not always gonna be easy, and I want to hold your metaphorical hand, too. Forever.”

Bonni chuckled. “Forever is an awful long time,”

“Not long enough,”Marceline replied.

But maybe they were both wrong.

Maybe, sometimes, forever is just right.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Good job to anyone who spotted the subtle Princess Bride reference! 
> 
> Anyway, this was my first multichapter fic, and I have to say I'm glad that it's over. I most definitely didn't plan enough for this, and updating it was too chaotic. I can't say updates will be any closer together in my next story, but they will at least be consistent (I hope). Anyway, thank you so much for reading my weird little story that I decided belonged on the Internet. Until next time~


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